


The Primal Prince

by The_Eternal_Winter



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Gen, Multi, Rated For Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-25
Updated: 2020-03-12
Packaged: 2020-07-22 19:14:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 154,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19976467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Eternal_Winter/pseuds/The_Eternal_Winter
Summary: Aaravos refused to be captured by his enemies, his last act of defiance was to seal his soul into his most valuable possession, an item known as the Key of Aaravos. Centuries later a young Callum comes across a strange artifact in the Banther Lodge and releases the spirit of the greatest Elven Archmage to have ever existed.





	1. Chapter 1

The night sky was clear and bright with the moon a crescent, thin and sharp as the blade of a knife. For elves, it was known as the traitor's moon, a night where dark things were bound to happen.

"A fitting moon for a night like this." Aaravos mused out loud as he gazed upon it, despite it being only a crescent moon it illuminated the sky as brightly as a full moon would have. It was so bright that it was easy for him to see the shadowed forms of a dozen Skywing elves as they descended from the darkness of the night sky to attack him.

With practiced ease, Aaravos drew a large rune in the air with his hands. "Frigora Brumae Durandam!" Aaravos called out as he unleashed a freezing blizzard of magical energy that froze the Skywing elven warriors that tried to ambush him. The magical energy froze them solid mid-flight, their wings becoming useless, causing them to fall to the earth below where their bodies shattered into a thousand pieces. He let out a tired sigh, he had been fighting for almost an entire day, unleashing numerous magical spells upon his enemies that managed to get past his defenses. He looked around and saw that the earth around him and saw the numerous foes he had slain, some were frozen solid, others burnt until they were little more than piles of ash, and some were even impaled upon large spikes of earth that jutted out of the ground like dragons teeth.

Aaravos looked at his surroundings, he had beaten the latest attack against him, but he knew it was over. He stood at the peak of one of Xadia's highest mountains, a suitable place to make his last stand after the rest of elven kind had turned on him. Below the peak, he could hear the sounds of battle, a battle cry from his followers and enemies alike, as well as the sounds of dying warriors.

The night was clear and the mountain was free of snow but the wind still carried a terrible chill, a chill that made him realize it was all over. There was no victory for him today, already he could see dragons circling the mountain, many had fallen to him and his followers but their numbers were legion. He had numerous contingency plans, but most wouldn't work here. A part of him felt like surrendering, the dragons would most likely imprison him, and prisons could be broken out of. But what if they didn't imprison him? Death would be an end to all he had hoped to accomplish.

He doubted they would kill him though. There would be a trial, his people loved their trials. The Earthblood elves would want imprisonment for eternity for him, the Sunfire and Moonshadows would want him executed, the Skywings would want exile, and the dragons...they would want a fate worse than death for him. They always had unique punishments for those that displeased them. His own people the Startouch elves would probably not even bother showing up to a trial, always arrogant and far too busy for such trivial matters. And the ocean elves...the less said about what they would want to be done to him the better.

"None will stand judge over me..." The idea of allowing the ignorant masses to judge him left a foul taste in his mouth, he refused to give them the satisfaction of deciding his fate. Yet death would be the end of all his plans. He had already set things in motion, events that would change the fate of this world, but there was still so much for him to do...

Before he could contemplate his situation more he saw something move in the edge of his vision, a shadow moving towards him at breakneck speeds. As he raised his hands before himself to defend himself the shadow revealed itself to be a Moonshadow elf, an assassin. The assassin closed the distance between them, his assailant was male and wielding a longsword made of white steel.

"Traitor!" The assassin's blade left a silver trail in the air as it was brought down upon Aaravos's shoulder, a cut that was most likely meant to cut him in half. It would have worked if not for the fact that he had enchanted his robes with earth magic to make it as strong as plate armor, spell weaved cloth was the best defense a magic-user could ask for and all of his clothing from his robes to his socks were made of it. The only thing it lacked was the ability to block the shock of a blow, so while the assassins blade didn't pierce his flesh it still felt like he had been hit with a stick made out of metal.

Pain flared up in his left shoulder, as he felt the metal of the blade hit him full force, but better a bruised shoulder with a cracked bone then being cut in half. "You should have aimed for the head," Aaravos muttered as he brought up his right hand to the face of the assassin which was frozen in apparent shock at the ineffectiveness of his strike.

"Sol Soluti!" He called out as white flames burst forth from his hand and engulfed his attacker's face. The elf fell to the ground, his face had been vaporized and the white flames quickly began eating away at the rest of his body until nothing remained but ashes.

As Aaravos nursed his now badly aching shoulder as he considered the now dead assailant's words. Traitor? He knew he was being called Aaravos the Betrayer by many of his kind, but to hear it in person was something else entirely. If not for the pain in his shoulder he would have laughed at the elf's words. "Fools often persecute that which they do not understand." He reminded himself, as he often had to do. It wasn't his fault that the rest of his kind were so ignorant and couldn't understand his vision of the future.

His dark thoughts turned away from his people and towards his own body. It took all his energy to not fall to his knees, his body ached, he was still bleeding lightly from a wound he took to the left side of his chest from an overzealous attacker who had tried to get the drop on him earlier in the night. As he reached for his wound he felt something large attached to his belt, he pulled it out and saw the key. It was an artifact that his followers had taken to calling the Key of Aaravos because of the power it could unlock. He simply saw it as a key, yet it had been forged by the most powerful magic in the world, all primal sources being used in its crafting.

The key gave him an idea, a way to escape his enemies with them believing he was dead. A chance to start anew free from the scrutiny of the world. Yet the cost would be high, great magic always required a great cost, was it a price he would be willing to pay?

Thunderous roars echoed throughout the night sky, breaking Aaravos from his thoughts. The dragons were on the move, and in his current state victory was impossible. It was the sign that he needed to make his decision. He stared at the Key in his hands and let out a tired sigh. Many would consider the fate he was consigning himself to as a fate worse than death. A terrible sacrifice...but it would be worth it if it meant he could someday get his vengeance upon those who had wronged him.

"As long as I still draw breath...My fate is my own...whether it be for better or for worse." He took the key and with his free hand grabbed at his lightly bleeding chest wound. He used his now bloody hand to wipe his blood on each side of the Key, he lacked any reagents for a proper dark ritual so his blood would have to suffice as the energy, catalyst, and anchor for his spell. "None will stand in judgment over me, not the dragons, not the elves, no one..."

"Eno sa delaes eb luos dna doolb!" Aaravos began to chant as he held the Key in his hands. The key glowed red as it began to absorb the blood he had wiped on it, he felt his body weakening and he soon fell to his knees but he kept the key firmly in his hands, ignoring the horrible pain that coursed through his body. The pain was a small price to pay to avoid the Dragons judgment, it didn't matter if he had to wait ten years or a thousand years.

Then he felt it, the pain of his body and soul being separated, both hot and cold, like magma and ice flowing through his body. His body was awash in ice and fire as he continued chanting the words of the spell that would be his doom and salvation.

Instantly it was done, the pain faded and all he saw was darkness.

* * *

Callum felt heat returning to his body as he sat near the fireplace of the Banther Lodges game room. He had spent almost the entire day out in the snow playing and making snowmen and having snowball fights with his mother and his aunt Amaya, now after a day of fun, he found that sitting next to a warm hearth was the perfect way to close out the day.

Only a few years ago he had been living in a small two-bedroom house with creaky floors, a leaky roof, and a simple straw-filled mattress for his bed. That had been before his mother married the King of Katolis, now he was a prince who lived in the lap of luxury, there were still times that he had to pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

Once his body had warmed up he picked himself up and looked around the game room for something to do. The game room had numerous activities but most of them required two people to play. His stepfather and mother were busy downstairs tending to his little brother Ezran, and his aunt Amaya had left to patrol the surrounding area.

"I could draw." Callum looked over at his sketchbook, a gift from his stepfather. Usually, he could draw for hours on end and never get bored, yet tonight he felt like doing something different. He looked through the large storage cupboard that was against the wall but found only board games and card games that required two people. He saw board games such as chess and Cyvasse lining the shelves of the cupboard, none of them one player-friendly. There were also card decks for games like wicked grace and Gwent, but those also required two people. The room had ornamental shields on the walls, he was tempted to try and grab one so he could pretend to be a knight, but they were too high up for his six-year-old body to be able to reach.

Just when he was about to give up hope of finding something to do his eyes were drawn to a small ornamental box on a mantle. Deciding that it might have a game inside he walked up and opened it. He could only let out a disappointed sigh as all that was in there was a small cube with numerous strange symbols on each side.

"Is this a part of a game?" He asked himself as he looked at the numerous symbols on the cube, could it be part of a board game? Perhaps you had to roll it like a set of dice? He remembered hearing about puzzle cubes from places like Neolandia, perhaps it was a puzzle of some sort?

Callum tried to twist it in hopes that perhaps it was some type of puzzle cube. He twisted as hard as he could until suddenly he felt a sharp pain fill his right hand. He dropped the cube onto the floor and turned his attention to his hand. There was a cut straight across his right palm, deep enough to draw a good amount of blood. He looked down and saw that one of the sharp edges of one of the runes had dug into his flesh when he was twisting it, the cube itself was now dotted with red from the cut.

Callum's first instinct was to run to his mother, she always knew how to bandage up a cut and make it feel better. "I'm too old for that, I'm six years old...I'm not a baby." He remembered Soren making fun of him when he cried after he got a splinter from a wooden sword during a sword-fighting lesson. The worst part was that Claudia had been there watching them spar when it happened. Intent on not crying he walked over to a washroom down the hall and washed his hand in a basin and wrapped it in fresh linens that were in the washroom cupboard. Thankfully the bleeding stopped rapidly and he walked back to the game room with a sense of pride at being able to tend to his own injuries.

Callum returned to the game room and went to retrieve the cube, intent on cleaning his blood off of it and returning it to its original resting place. Yet when he saw the cube he almost keeled over since all of the symbols had started to glow a dim red.

Mustering up his courage he approached the cube, intent on figuring out what was going on with it. As he reached for the cube with his good hand he felt the air grow thicker and felt as if someone else was in the room with him.

"Speak…" A voice called out from nowhere and everywhere. It was a deep yet soothing voice, it sounded distinctly inhuman. Callum looked around the room to see where the voice had come from but he was completely alone.

"Speak so I may hear your voice…I know you are there..."

"Who are you?!" Callum called out as he looked around the room, a sense of fear and dread filling him. He was breathing rapidly and his hands shook as he tried to find the owner of the voice.

"Ah…." The voice sighed in a strange tone that Callum didn't quite understand. "How long has it been since I heard the sound of another voice? A child's voice as well…do not be afraid child...littler Star."

"If you don't come out I'll get my parents!" Callum wanted to run out the door but he wasn't sure if the owner of the voice was outside the door or in the room with him. He grabbed a poker from the fireplace and held it in front of him as if it were a sword.

"Calm yourself little Star, I mean you no harm...in fact, I wish only friendship between us…"

"I don't need friends." Callum kept looking around, slowly pacing the room with the poker in front of him, ready to strike if the voice's owner showed himself. The voice seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere, a feeling of dread etched itself into the bottom of his stomach. He turned around and then he saw him

Standing in front of the fireplace was a tall figure who towered higher than either of his parents. The figure was beautiful, skin that was a lovely shade of midnight blue, long illustrious white hair that seemed to almost glow when the light of the fire hit it, the figure's skin also had illuminated markings that looked like stars which made the strangers skin almost look like a tapestry of the night sky. It was only when Callum inspected the strangers face closer that he realized the individual was a man since his features were so beautiful, the strangers glowing yellow eyes bore into him with mischievous curiosity.

Once he got over the shock of seeing such a being Callum collected himself and held the poker in front of him. "Who are you? What are you? What are you doing here?"

"So many questions little Star and I have many of my own. Perhaps we could sit and have a calm discussion?"

As entrancing as the strange man was Callum knew better than to talk to strangers. He threw the poker he was holding at the stranger, only to watch in both amazement and horror as it passed through him as if he wasn't there. Rather than getting mad the strange man simply let out a light chuckle.

"Child if you would calm yourself I can explain…"

Callum turned and ran, he threw open the game room door and ran as fast as his little legs could carry him down the halls of the Banther lodge with the intent of finding his parents. But before he could reach the end of the hall the mysterious man appeared once more at the end of the hall, seemingly appearing out of thin air.

"Enough of this little Star I mean you no harm. It would be quite literally self-defeating for me to harm you. We are bound by blood now if you will only let me explain-"

"Mom! Help, theirs a stranger here!"

"Have it your way, call your parents. It will accomplish nothing."

Within seconds there were thunderous footsteps coming from the other side of the hall as both his mother, Aunt Amaya, and several guardsmen came running to him.

Callum was sure he was safe, that they would protect him from the mysterious stranger, but they ignored him. In fact, his mother ran right through the stranger and seemingly passed through him as if he were made of smoke.

"Callum, what's wrong?" His mother asked as she ran up and grabbed her son. "Are you hurt? What on earth did you do to your hand?!"

Callum looked down at his hand, in all his panic he had been moving it around and as a result, the cut had reopened. Blood soaked through the white linen and dripped onto the carpeted floor of the lodge.

"I'm fine, but you need to take care of the blue man!" Callum pointed at the black-robed figure who stood at the end of the hall, he was watching Callum with a very satisfied smirk.

"Callum, theirs no one there..." His mother said as she gazed directly at the space the stranger was standing.

His aunt began signing something and her trusty partner Gren began translating. "Callum might be hallucinating due to losing so much blood, especially given his small size."

"I'm not hallucinating! He's right there!" Callum pointed at the man once more. "He's blue and his skin glows!"

"Sweetie, it's okay..." Sarai said as she hugged him tightly. "You just hurt yourself and got scared, let's get you to bed. You'll feel better in the morning."

"But...but..."

"Your mothers right," Gren said, translating for Amaya. "You need rest, and perhaps a cookie and juice to help you feel better. I'll even have some guards stationed outside your door to make sure no blue men come for you."

Callum wanted to protest, to tell them all that the stranger was real. Instead, his mother picked him up and began to carry him to his room. He looked up over his mom's shoulder and saw the stranger waving innocently at him.

"We'll have our talk later little Star, for now, you should listen to your mother and get some rest."

Callum wanted to scream, to tell them all that they were wrong, but he felt lightheaded as his mother carried him to his room. Perhaps he had lost to much blood…

Callum closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

When he awoke he opened his eyes to see a candle burning on his nightstand. Callum hefted himself up and yawned, he looked out the window and saw a world of pure white as it was still snowing. It was a night with a full moon, the moon making the snow glow with beautiful illumination. He looked to his hand and saw it had been wrapped with fresh linens.

"Feeling better little star?"

Callum looked to the corner of his bedroom and saw him. He was sitting in a large cushioned chair, his eyes glowing in the candlelight the same as the star-like symbols on his flesh.

He wanted to scream, to yell out for his mother and the guards but stopped himself. He had already made a fool of himself before, he knew that the person in front of him was real but for some reason, no one else could see him. "Are you a ghost?" Callum asked he had heard stories of spirits and wraiths haunting people. Spirits that only the person being haunted could see.

"A ghost? That's one way to put it I suppose. My body has most likely been dead for a long time, all that remains is my soul. I sealed it away into the key with my blood. When you cut yourself upon the key your blood awakened me from my slumber." The ghost explained in a casual tone as if Callum had asked him to pass a dinner roll.

"So...your haunting me?" he didn't quite understand what the man was saying but he managed to get the gist of it. "Can't you just go away? I don't want to be haunted."

"Not possible I'm afraid, we are bound by blood you and I. Your blood mixed with mine in the key, we are connected by ties stronger than anything in this world or the next. But do not be afraid little star, I mean you no harm."

"So...youre not going to possess me? Or kill me?" He asked, unsure of that strange ghost's intentions.

"Of course not, in fact, I wish to help you little Star." The ghost said in a tone that made it sound like he was offended by Callum's implication. "You are my liberator and savior. As for possession...while I do wish for a body of my own once more you need not fear possession from me. Two souls fighting over the same body never ends well for either party involved, usually, the body can't take such a thing and literally explodes."

"That's...good...I don't want to explode." Callum sat up straighter in his bed, his fear was slowly dissipating. He knew he should be afraid but the stranger in his room was so...pleasant. His voice, the way he talked and acted. Callum decided to figure out exactly who the stranger was. "So...who are you? Also...what are you?" He looked at the stranger's head and saw two horns sticking out from his head, whatever he was in life he clearly wasn't human.

"Forgive my rudeness little star, It has been so long since I've talked to someone it seems as if I've forgotten my manners." The stranger stood up from the chair he was sitting in and gave a curt bow. "I am Aaravos, it's my pleasure to meet your acquittance. Now that you know my name might I be blessed to know yours?"

"I am Prince Callum of Katolis, son of Queen Sarai and stepson of his Majesty King Harrow," Callum said in his most noble voice. Ever since becoming a prince he had been drilled on protocols and manners, the most important of which was making proper introductions with all the right titles and honorifics.

"Ah, so a prince has come to deliver me from my eternity of loneliness. Its almost storybook material..." Aaravos answered with clear amusement in his voice. "What can I do to repay such a debt noble prince?"

Callum rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment at the way he was being addressed, it was still strange being addressed as a prince."Umm...I would like you to leave me alone...but I'm guessing you can't leave me because we are bound by blood?"

"That is correct noble prince. I'm sorry to burden one so young with such a thing. I had hoped one of my friends or followers would come across the Key and release my spirit. Sadly it has somehow ended up in your hands, my deepest apologies."

"Its..okay." Callum was happy that the ghost was at least a nice ghost, it made him feel at ease, it was kind of like having an imaginary friend that was real...sort of. "So...what do we do now?"

"That is a very good question, noble prince," Aaravos said as he walked across the room. Callum noticed how he didn't indent the carpet as he walked, he really was a spirit. "While I wish to find a body to inhabit the rituals for such a thing are well beyond your abilities to procure...for now I simply wish to know what's been going on in the world since I sealed myself away."

"Okay, I'll try to answer your questions. My tutors say I'm very book smart." Callum had been learning from the best teachers and philosophers in all Katolis since he became a prince, he was fairly certain he could answer most questions Aaravos had. "But if I answer your questions I want you to answer mine. Who are you? Why does your skin glow? Do you have-"

"Easy there noble prince, we won't get anywhere like that," Aaravos said while taking a seat in a chair next to Callum's bedside. "How about we play this like a game of questions? You ask me a question, I answer, then I get to ask you a question, and we continue like that until neither of us has anything left to ask."

"Sounds fair."

"Since you are a prince, and therefore royalty, I think its only fitting that you go first, ask me a question," Aaravos said generously as he gave the young boy another bow.

"What are you? You're not human and you don't look like any type of elf I've ever heard of. My aunt Amaya says elves have pale or brown skin, but yours is shiny."

"Indeed, I am a Startouch elf, we are few in number and rarely get involved with the affairs of humans or even other elves. Now for my question, what year is it?"

"The year 292, its been 292 years since the kingdom of Katolis's founding, almost a thousand years since the division of the continent. I think 992 years since Xadia was split but I'm not sure, so if your going on a global scale 992 PS, post-split." Callum answered academically, remembering his lessons from the royal tutors.

"Long have I slept a dreamless sleep, yet for so long to have passed...no point in regrets now. Go on and ask me another question."

"What's your story?" Callum asked curiously as he looked into Aaravos's glittering yellow eyes.

"My story?" The elf seemed caught off guard for the first time as he was taken aback by the question.

"You know, you're life story. It must be a good one if you sealed yourself into a cube...also it counts as being only one question"

"You are a clever little prince if a bit devious...my story might take a long time to answer...I will tell you but in exchange, I get to ask you five questions after telling you a slightly abridged version of my story."

"Deal, now tell me." Callum got comfortable in his bed, ever since becoming prince he never got bedtime stories since his mother was so busy being a queen.

"Now for my story...It all began in the first age when the shadows first lengthened..."

Callum spent the rest of the night listening to Aaravos tell his story, they asked questions about each other's lives, about the world, and even about mundane things like their favorite hobbies and foods. Each question led to an answer that was as fascinating as Aaravos himself, Callum found himself entranced by the elf, he had never met anyone like him. He didn't speak down to him like most adults, nor did his flattery seem forced like the flattery most servants gave him.

As he asked and answered questions he found himself wishing the night would never end.

* * *

King Harrow watched his stepson sit in front of the fireplace of the Banther Lodges main hall, the boy had become obsessed with the Key of Aaravos, an old curiosity that had been kept in the Banther lodges game room since he was a boy.

"He really likes that old toy doesn't he?" Harrow asked his wife, Sarai who was sitting next to him, cradling their two-year-old son Ezran.

Sarai nodded as her gaze went from Ezran to Callum who was writing something down in a blank notebook he had borrowed from the lodge's library. "I've never seen him so interested in something that didn't involve drawing. What did you say that cube was?"

"The key of Aaravos," Harrow answered, remembering what his father had told him about the key. "An old heirloom passed down my family's line, it's said to be a key to something wondrous in Xadia. It was once owned by Aaravos, an elven archmage who was a master of all primal sources."

A look of worry crossed his wife's face as she looked at Callum. "Is it wise to let a child play with an old elven artifact? What if it's dangerous?"

Harrow let out a light chuckle at his wife's concern. "Don't worry dear, that cube has been inspected by every arcane expert in the Kingdom and beyond, even Viren dismissed it as a simple glow toy. According to my ancestors its a key to something in Xadia."

"I don't like him being curious about magic, you know how I feel about it..." Sarai held Ezran closer as she gazed at Callum. "You might tolerate Viren's obsession with the dark arts but I find them disgusting."

"That's something you share with Callum." Harrow put a comforting arm around his wife. "Your son isn't interested in dark magic, he practically vomited after he went to one of Claudia's lessons with her father."

"True..." Sarai seemed unsure as she looked at her son. "I still worry though...he's so young and I feel as if-"

Before they could continue with their conversation the sound of the lodge's doors being flung open, drawing the attention of everyone in the room, the doors had opened so suddenly several of the Crownguard reached for their weapons.

Cold winter air whipped through the lodge, the warmth that had once been present in the main hall practically evaporated as the familiar figure of Lord Viren walked into the lodge, he was wrapped in furs that complimented his usual court attire and he was leaning on his trustworthy mages staff which also functioned as a walking stick.

"Viren." Harrow got up to greet his friend and closest adviser. "What brings you here?" He had left Viren and the rest of his councilors to handle affairs of state while he spent a few weeks at the winter lodge with his family. Only a matter of great importance would bring his closest adviser here in the dead of winter.

"Ill tidings I'm afraid," Viren answered as he shook off some of the snow that clung to his clothes. "We've had crow messages from the Kingdom of Duren. Both Queens of Duren are personally coming to Katolis on a matter of great importance, they seek an audience with you."

"Both Queens?" Harrow didn't like the sound of that, the leaders of a kingdom didn't make sudden visits to discuss the weather. It had to be an issue of the state that had far-reaching implications. "Do you know why they are coming?" He already had half an idea of why they were coming, Duren was the breadbasket of the five kingdoms, he had heard that the last harvest had run into several problems.

"Most likely to beseech us for aid, I've heard dire news of a possible famine this winter." Viren shook his head sadly. "Regardless it would be rude for both Queens of Duren to come seeking an audience with you only to find you not at the castle. I hate to cut your time here short but you must be at the castle to receive them when they arrive."

"Indeed, it would be rude and diplomatic suicide to not receive both Queens with all the honor that is due to them." Harrow wanted to go alone and let his wife and sons enjoy their time at the lodge, but it would be rude for his own queen to not be present at the castle with them. That would mean cutting their little winter holiday short.

As if sensing his thoughts Sarai got up and began ordering the guards and servants to begin packing things up for their return to the castle. Harrow dismissed Viren and ordered him to return the castle to prepare it to welcome the queens. With royalty visiting they would have to prepare guest rooms and have a feast to welcome their guests.

Harrow saw everyone moving except Callum who was sitting near the hearth, staring at the key of Aaravos with a sad expression. Harrow walked over to his stepson. "I know its disappointing for our vacation to be cut short, but I need you with me when I receive our guest at the castle." Callum's eyes looked up at Harrow, the boy was pouting the way only children can do. "Don't give me that looks Callum, we can come back once our business is done at the castle."

"I know...its just that." The boy looked at the elven artifact that was in his hand. "I was hoping to have more time with Aara-I mean with this cool cube. I think I'm close to figuring out how it works."

Harrow had to resist chucking, it was endearing how children became so attached to simple trinkets. He knelt down to Callum's level and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "How about I lend it to you? You can bring it back to the castle and try figuring out its secrets at home."

"Can I really keep it? When I asked you what it was you said it was a family heirloom so I figured..." Callum looked away uncertainly which was all harrow needed to know what he was thinking.

"We don't share blood but you are still a member of my family Callum." He had tried to keep a certain distance from the boy, out of respect for the memory of the boy's birth father. As a result, there had always been a certain divide between them, one he hoped would someday close on its own naturally. "Just promise to take care of it alright? That little cube you're holding is older then Katolis itself."

"I promise to take good care of it, my king," Callum promised with all the seriousness a six-year-old could muster.

"Good man." Harrow gestured towards the stairs that led to the Banther Lodges rooms. "Now hurry up and get packed, as a prince of Katolis you have to be by my side when we receive the Queens of Duren." He watched the boy run off, nearly tripping on the top step in his rush.

He hoped Callum could enjoy the innocence of youth a bit longer, yet as those thoughts passed his mind a cold wind swept through the room sending a chill through his body. He looked out of one of the lodge's windows which was open and had brought in the cold breeze and saw the snow was falling even heavier, winter had come in force this year.

"Winter has come...and I fear many won't live to see spring..."

* * *

Aaravos stood next to the open window of the Banther lodge and watched the king of Katolis as the man muttered to himself, an amusing man by all accounts. Yet behind his smiles and jovial attitude, he could sense the hard, strong ruler beneath the mask he wore for his family.

It had only been a few days since he was released from his self inflicted prison and already he could feel numerous plans stirring in his mind. It had been so many years since his self-imprisonment. To him, it had been like a long dark dream, but for so many centuries to have passed...it would take a great deal of time and information gathering before he knew what to do next.

When not planning his next moves he tested the limits of his new body...or lack thereof. He found that he could be a fair distance from Callum but too far and he was pulled back towards the boy, his spirit was drawn to the blood bond they now shared. He felt no hunger nor desires of the body, but all his emotions were fully in check which he was thankful for. He had heard of ghosts and wraiths losing themselves to powerful emotions.

When not testing out his new incorporeal body he had eavesdropped on the King and Queen but found the two rather boring, they talked little about anything other than their love for one another. Perhaps things would get more interesting when they returned to the castle. The guards were just as boring and lacked any real personality. He had listened to two guards talk about breakfast for over an hour the other day, it was enough to make him wish the dragons and elves had captured him.

Possession was out of the question, although his knowledge on the subject was limited to books he had read in Xadias oldest libraries he knew enough to know it was dangerous. When two souls fought over control of one body things always went wrong. Earlier in the day, he had tried to possess the body of a squirrel that had wandered into the lodge and that had been difficult with the squirrel almost fighting off the possession. He shuddered to think of what would happen if he tried to possess a highly sentient creature. Still, it had been an interesting experience, while he had been in control of the squirrel's body he had felt alive once more, he felt the cold winter air, felt the ground beneath his feet, and experienced a great hunger for nuts. It was a shame possession was out of the question, possessing the body of Katolis's King or even one of the king's advisors would have opened up great doors for him.

Due to the lack of anything interesting going on he found himself spending most of his time with Callum, the boy was rather interesting...yet he couldn't figure out why the boy interested him. By all accounts, there was nothing particularly special about him aside from his amazing artistic skills. The boy wasn't even royalty, he was merely the king's stepson, his birth mother a commoner and his birth father most likely a commoner as well. Yet for some reason he saw endless potential in the child, he wasn't sure if it was because there was potential, or if he was simply drawn to the only person who could see and talk to his spirit. Yet at the end of the day, the boy was all he had, the only thing that tethered him to the living world. Callum was all he had to work with.

"A prince of common birth and an incorporeal spirit...that's fine, empires have been built by less" Aaravos mused to himself as he let out a chuckle. "Ah young Callum, we will accomplish wonders together."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a review/comment, want to know what people think of this, might keep writing it.
> 
> I didn't want to publish this, I wrote it after finishing binging the series, it was supposed to sit on my computer but after seeing how few fanfics this section has I figured I might as well add it.
> 
> This is my first time publishing my work here on Archive, I usually only do FF.net. So if there's stuff wrong with the formatting or text please tell me. Also, tell me if I mislabeled things or did anything else wrong while posting this. Im new here.


	2. Chapter 2

"I need the pages turned once again young prince."

"Already?" Callum asked as he got up from his bed where he had been sketching a picture of the Key of Aaravos. He walked over to the keys creator and owner who was standing in front of his desk where he usually drew or did homework. On the desk were five different books, all of them open and being read by the Startouch elf spirit that he was now bound to.

"I can't help that I'm a fast reader, I'm already reading as slow as I can and reading five books at once," Aaravos replied as he stood in front of the desk. "If I could turn the pages myself I would, but sadly as an incorporeal spirit I lack the...substance to be able to turn them myself."

"I can't believe you can read five books at once at this speed," Callum muttered as he turned the pages of each book, all of them were thick tomes from the castle's library concerning various topics, mostly history. Each tome was bigger and more boring than the last in Callum's opinion and yet Aaravos read them as if they were entertaining short stories.

Which would have been fine if the elf could turn the pages himself but instead it fell to Callum to turn the pages over and over again.

As Callum finished turning the pages of each book his thoughts turned to current events. It had been a little over a week since he had returned to the Banther lodge to Katolis Castle. In that short time, they had received the Queens of Duren who came to plead for aid in a famine that was ravaging their kingdom. His stepfather and Viren had argued until they came up with a plan to kill some monster in Xadia and claim the creature's heart to cast a spell to save everyone.

Callum hadn't understood what was going on at the time until Aaravos had explained what Lord Viren intended to do.

" _Your mage has a clever idea, a magma titans heart while being of the earth is also born of fire. By using its energy you can nourish the earth and bring about_ _an extended_ _summer with the proper catalyst."_ Aaravos had said after hearing of Viren's plan. The Startouch elf had also said that Magma titans were impervious to most weapons made by man and were very strong. It had made him beg his mother not to go, but his mother claimed she would be fine and that King Harrow would protect her.

It had been only a few days since his parents had left and with each passing hour, he grew more and more nervous about whether or not his mother would return.

"I need the pages turned once more young prince!" Aaravos called out once more, breaking Callum from his thoughts. Callum turned the pages of the books once more and looked at them curiously.

"What do you want to learn from these?"

"Anything and everything," Aaravos answered as his eyes scanned each page at breakneck speeds. "Knowledge is power, and I've been sealed for over a thousand years so there is quite a bit of knowledge that needs acquiring. Also, its amazing how little of the history in these books is accurate, the mistakes here are quite blatant."

"Like what?" Callum asked, he wasn't all that curious about what some old dusty tomes got wrong, but talking about old books was better than him worrying about his mother's safety.

"This book claims that Dark magic came about as a result of human discovery, and this one claims that all the ancient magical focal points are on the eastern continent. Where you humans get these false ideas is beyond me." Aaravos said casually as his eyes continued soaking in the knowledge on the pages. "Turn the pages please."

Callum did so and looked at the elf curiously. "Wait, so if humans didn't discover dark magic, who did?" All his life he had heard Viren say that Dark magic was humanity's greatest triumph and discovery, which set them apart from the elves.

"First we need to consider what is dark magic? The common belief is that it is the act of taking the magical energy from magical creatures and using it to fuel spell casting." Aaravos began as he turned his attention away from the books and towards Callum. "Yet one must ask, what about using one's own energy in rituals? In ancient times elves used their own blood in rituals that are much like modern dark magic, yet back then it was called blood magic."

"Blood magic?" Callum asked as he had never heard of the term before.

"It's debatably the seventh source of magic." Aaravos shrugged. "Many Earthblood elves claimed that since our bodies are of the earth and the earth primal source involves living creatures that blood magic is a form of earth magic. Ocean elves and waterborne elves claimed that since blood was liquid and could be manipulated by tapping into the ocean's energy that blood magic was a form of ocean magic. Others claimed it was a primal source all its own."

"So what do you think?"

"I think its a little bit of everything, I have my own belief as to what the seventh primal source is." Aaravos shrugged nonchalantly. "Take lava for example, would you say lava is of earth or fire?"

"I would say its….both? But isn't the sun a primal source and not fire itself?" Callum guessed that lava was earth that was on fire so it counted as both. While looking for books for Aaravos to read he had skimmed a few on the primal sources, but nothing went into as much detail as Aaravos did when he explained things.

"All fire and warmth originate from the sun...at least that's what most mages believe. The fires beneath the earth are a source of great debate between the Sunfire and Earthblood elves." Aaravos shrugged. "But back on topic, there are other things like mud which is earth and water. Rain comes from the ocean as all water does yet we claim it is a part of sky magic, so many lines that become blurred between the primal sources. Blood is the blurriest of them all in my opinion."

"That's all interesting...but you never answered my question." Callum pointed out. "If it wasn't humans who discovered dark magic, who was it?"

"Does it matter?" Aaravos shrugged. "My point is that dark magic came about because of blood magic. People weren't satisfied with the power that came from using their own blood or even the blood of others whether they be willing or unwilling. So they started using things other than blood like bone and flesh. This extended to magical creatures as well, humans were the ones to create the modern version of the art Ill admit, but since it was elves that first discovered dark magic, we are the founders of the art back when it was in its infancy."

"Why have I never heard of this?"

"Shame most likely," Aaravos answered simply. "My people stopped using blood magic when humans began using dark magic. They felt as if the art had been corrupted by humans, blood magic became stigmatized due to humanity's mass use of dark magic."

"I hate dark magic..." Callum said with a shudder. "I've seen Lord Viren perform it, and Claudia does quite a bit of it. When Viren uses spells he looks like a monster, his eyes are black and his flesh turns pale like a...ghost...no offense."

"None taken." Aaravos replied with good humor. "Viren's physical appearance is due to foreign magic entering his body at regular intervals which are effectively poisoning his body."

"So he's poisoning himself?" Callum was shocked, he couldn't believe Viren would be that stupid. "Why would he do that? Does he even know?"

"Most likely, unless he's a complete fool." Aaravos shrugged. "The distance between genius and fool is closer then you would think. Then again the greatest fools are often more clever than the men who laugh at them."

"Still to poison yourself..."

"Poison might not be the best word for it," Aaravos said thoughtfully. "When you use dark magic you are taking the magical energy of a magical creature, channeling it through your body, and using it to cast spells. The magical energy of say, a cockatrice isn't natural to a human or elf body. So when it gets channeled through your body it leaves traces of itself behind. Too much of that latent foreign magical energy being in your body can have negative health effects. Some latent energy is fine, but use dark magic too often and it builds up until your body slowly begins to deteriorate."

"That sounds bad..." Callum's thoughts turned to Claudia, one of his few friends here at the castle. She often used dark magic in her lessons with her dad. "Is there no way to...cure yourself? Claudia uses it all the time, is there a way she could keep herself from becoming sick?"

"Ah yes, your little raven-haired friend." Aaravos adopted a thoughtful look. "Well, the body naturally gets rid of foreign magical energy over time, although the easiest way to purge foreign magic from your system is to use it. Humans that use dark magic can perform small feats of magic with the energy that's left behind in their bodies, such as lighting candles and levitating small objects."

"I've seen Claudia light candles with a wave of her hand," Callum said, remembering how she would always show off her magic to him. "I've even seen her make her hands glow like a lantern, she uses it to read books in the dark."

"As long as she does those things, and uses dark magic at a responsible rate she should be fine." Aaravos shrugged. "If not...well we all have to pay the price in the end."

"What price?" Callum asked curiously, something about the way Aaravos had said that last sentence sounded bad.

"Aren't you a curious one?" Aaravos asked as he smiled down at Callum. "You know if you read these old books like I do you wouldn't need me to answer these sorts of questions. Speaking of which its time for you to turn the pages once more little prince."

Callum turned the pages of the five books. "You just said that these books were full of lies." He pointed out. "It seems like if I want the truth I should always ask you."

"Truth...people often hunger for the truth yet when it is fed to them they complain about its taste." Aaravos looked at Callum, his eyes glowed in the candlelight of Callum's room. "Do you truly want to know the truth little prince? Do you think you have the stomach for it? I have knowledge that can drive men man."

"Well telling me cool knowledge is the least you can do, all you've done so far is make me haul books for you and turn the pages." Callum pointed out. "Not to mention the fact it's creepy having an adult hang around my room all hours of the day, watching me sleep like some kind of a creeper."

"I do not watch you sleep, I wander the castle at night as far as our bond allows me to." Aaravos pointed out defensively. "But if it means you'll turn the pages of these books feel free to ask me any questions and I'll answer them to the best of my ability. It's not like I have much else on my schedule."

"Alright, what did you mean when Claudia would have to pay the price in the end if she used dark magic too much?"

"Self-explanatory, use too many short cuts and be too reckless with dark magic and it will exact its toll on your body. Magic is like fire, use it responsibly and you won't get burned, use it irresponsibly and you'll burn yourself alive." Aaravos looked contemplative. "Dark magic is especially dangerous if used too much, so if you care about your friend see to it she doesn't become too reliant on it. Dark magic used too often is like a sword without a handle, theirs no safe way to hold it without cutting yourself."

"But dark magic is the only magic humans can use right?" Callum asked he remembered hearing Claudia talk about how only elves could do regular magic. "Claudia showed me a black orb and said if humans wanted to use primal magic we had to have a premium stone."

"Primal stone, not premium stone." Aaravos corrected diligently. "Also a falsehood, humans are perfectly capable of learning primal magic so long as they are willing to apply themselves."

"Really?"

"Oh yes, back in my time when elves and humans lived alongside each other there were humans apprenticed to elven archmages who-" He was interrupted by the sound of bells from the town below. At this hour bells could only mean the return of the King and Queen.

"My mom's back!" Callum cheered as he looked out his window towards the castle's gatehouse. "I drew so many pictures for her while she was gone. I can't wait to give them to her."

"Very well, go greet your mother but before you do would you be a kind little prince and turn the pages of the books?" Aaravos asked politely."And please don't go beyond the castle courtyard otherwise my spirit will be pulled towards you."

Callum quickly flipped the pages and ran out the door anxious to be the first one to greet his mother when she arrived.

* * *

Aaravos watched the funeral with impassive eyes, yet he was fascinated by the human's burial ceremonies, or in this case cremation ceremony.

It had been a week of mourning and of bittersweet celebration. He could still remember watching Callum running out into the castle courtyard to greet his mother and stepfather. The King had brought back the Magma titans heart, but also the body of Callum's mother, Queen Sarai who had fallen fighting the Titan so that the others might escape. Yet her sacrifice had saved two kingdoms from a harsh winter of starvation, so while people mourned they also celebrated and honored the Queens who had died so that they might live.

The human mage Viren used the magma titans heart in a ritual to bring about summer weather in the midst of winter. People had been impressed but in truth, he knew he could have done a better job with far less risky reagents.

What had followed was a week of mourning, for the kingdom and for Callum. Aaravos had watched impassively, a part of him wanted to comfort the boy but comforting others in mourning wasn't something he was good at, especially in the case of children. The boy had barely talked to him since he learned of his mother's death, and he was too distraught to do much else other than cry.

It was the final day of mourning, with the setting sun they would light the queens funeral pyre. The funeral was taking place in a deep valley with numerous statues of past monarchs, despite being a fairly barren place it was filled with mourners of every social class, the Queen had been loved and it seemed as if the entire Kingdom had come to pay their respects. Aaravos could care less about the commoners that filled the valley and instead he watched as Callum and King Harrow as they stood on a raised platform where the queen's casket was sitting on a funeral pyre. The King and the prince were saying their final goodbyes to the woman they both loved. After them, numerous other family and friends said their goodbyes, in truth it was a tedious ceremony though not half as tedious as many elven ones.

"If I were alive I could summon her soul and have her say goodbye to them all personally, save a bit of time..." Aaravos muttered as he watched the ceremony drag on. In truth his mood was dark, the only person who could talk to him and turn the pages of books for him was distraught with grief, he didn't blame the boy and even sympathized but it didn't make it any less annoying.

He avoided going near the platform, the last thing Callum needed was his specter hovering around his mother's body. More then once the boy had asked him if he could talk to his mother since he was a ghost, when he told the boy that he couldn't speak to his mother the boy had cried even harder. If he had his body he would have easily been able to bring the woman's spirit back from the beyond but without a body, his magical skills were about as useless as nipples on a breastplate.

Aaravos let out a sigh, he missed being in the physical world. The only benefit to being a spirit was the fact he could navigate crowds such as this easily since people phased through him. He noticed some individuals shuddered when his spirit walked through them, but most people didn't realize he was around.

After what seemed like an eternity of waiting Viren took center stage and used his magic to do some theatrical tricks with fire, having the braziers that illuminated the area spring up into large pillars of fire that sent the crowd gasping. Aaravos could only roll his eyes at such parlor tricks. "What a pompous fool, he is nothing more then a preening cock and the cock is only king from atop his pile of manure." He shook his head. "If that's what humanity's best mages can do then I am thoroughly unimpressed. He is nothing more than a conjurer of cheap tricks. How the mighty have fallen indeed...though perhaps I am partially at fault for that."

As if to prove his point the mage did a pompous show of waving his staff around, sending flames up in the air., leaping from brazier to brazier It was a thoroughly boring show but Aaravos could hear the commoners in the crowd gasping in wonder. ' _If I was doing this show I could have the flames turn into dragons and other magical creatures, all this man does is fling fire around like a monkey flinging its own feces.'_ Yet Aaravos did find something of interest when he looked at the mage's staff.

_'It_ _couldn't_ _be...after all these years…'_ He thought as he gazed at the silver metal and purple jewels embedded in the staff. It looked very different from when he last saw it when it was wielded by Ziard. It was smaller, less ornate, had the humans changed it? Or was it merely a replica based on the old staff? Before he could wonder further he watched as the pompous mage finally had the flames rise up and fall upon the funeral pyre, setting it alight in a blaze of glory that illuminated the night.

"You toy with powers beyond your ken." Aaravos muttered under his breath as he watched Viren walk over to stand by King Harrow's side. Around him some people were whispering about how amazing the man's skill with magic was, he saw that the mage was aware of the praise as he stood up straighter with his chest puffed out like a proud rooster. "Enjoy the praise of the masses, you're a proud fool and you cannot even begin to grasp your own insignificance." He almost wished that it had been Viren who had bled upon the key and been bound to his spirit, such men were easy playthings, so predictable, and always overreaching themselves.

Aaravos cast his gaze upon Callum who stood on the other side of Harrow. The boy watched his mother's funeral pyre, the flames illuminating the boy's green eyes making them glow in the dark night. Despite the obvious pain, the boy was in Aaravos couldn't see a single tear in those green orbs, the boy played the role of a prince well, knowing how to bury his feelings when the crowds were watching. An amazing skill considering how young he was, it was hard to believe the boy was merely a commoner. Then again even the lowest of the low could rise to greatness, any fool with a bit of luck can be born into power but to claim it yourself….

Next to Callum was his half brother, Prince Ezran. The boy was young, unaware of what was going on. He held onto Callum's hand, most likely the clumsy child would fall without his older brother's grasp. He watched Callum squeeze his brother's hand protectively as the flames consumed the casket that held the boy's mother.

Moments such as these could change a boy's life, Aaravos knew from experience. In many ways Callum was broken, his mother, the rock of his life was gone. All that was left was his step-father and his younger half-brother. He would need support going forward, which he was more than happy to lend the boy. After all, when something was broken it can be reforged stronger then it was before.

"Even the darkest clouds have a silver lining," Aaravos muttered as he watched Queen Sarai's funeral pyre as it slowly burnt out leaving nothing behind but ashes that glowed in the dark night.

* * *

Callum gazed at his latest work of art, it was a picture of his mother made with as much detail he could muster. It had only been a few days since they had burnt her body but a part of him kept expecting her to walk into his room holding jelly tarts she had smuggled him from the kitchen.

"You are a very skilled little prince." A familiar voice said from just over his shoulder.

"Not really," Callum said sadly. "It's nowhere near as pretty as she was...I'm afraid that I'll forget what she looks like."

"You give yourself too little credit," Aaravos said as he gazed at the picture. "You should consider taking up painting, you could make some truly beautiful art with paint."

"I do a bit of painting, but I prefer sketching." Callum closed the sketchbook, his mood to draw suddenly gone. "Do you need me to turn the pages of your books again?" He looked over to the other side of his room where he had set up books on his writing desk.

"No need for that, I simply wish to see how you're doing is all." Aaravos tried to put a comforting hand on his shoulder but it simply phased through which sent a chill through Callum's body. "I know how hard this must be for you..."

"Do you really?" Callum had heard enough condolences in the last week to last him the rest of his life. He didn't want other people's sympathies, he wanted his mother back. "My mom is dead, slain by the King of the Dragons. I didn't even get to see her...they kept the casket closed, said that her body was crushed by the dragon king..." He wanted to cry but kept it down, he had cried enough in the last week, he knew princes weren't supposed to cry.

"Ah yes, the King of the Dragons...such a merciless beast, full of arrogance and judgment," Aaravos said, his voice full of disdain. "Still, your mother saved over a hundred thousand lives, many families will live because of her sacrifice."

"I know, I've only heard it a thousand times." Callum was proud of his mother but that didn't mean he had to be happy about her death for a good cause. "A queen has to sacrifice for her people. I remember her telling me that once. I just didn't realize she would have to make that kind of sacrifice. I remember when my mom first told me she was marrying the King and that I would be a prince, it was the happiest day of my life. It was like my life had become a fairy tale...but now I wish she had never met Harrow. I would have preferred being a peasant living in that crappy old house with the leaky roof if it meant I could have her back."

"At least you have your brother."

"You're right." How could he have forgotten about Ezran? If his mother had never met King Harrow he would be an only child. Ezran would never have been born. "Ezran...one day he will be king...will I end up seeing him sacrifice himself to? What's the point of being a prince if you can't protect the people you love?"

"You can avenge them," Aaravos said in a tone that sent a shiver down Callum's spine. "You can become strong enough to protect those closest to you."

"Have you seen me in the training yard?" Callum asked. "Soren kicks my butt every time we train. I'm a failure at swordsmanship, my archery...I almost killed the game master with a stray arrow. I couldn't protect a pantry from a gang of mice much less protect my family from dragons or assassins."

"There's always magic." Aaravos put forward grandly. "You need not be a great warrior to be a great mage."

"You know how I feel about dark magic, especially after you told me about how it poisons your body." Callum pointed out, remembering the elf's lesson on the dark arts. A part of him still worried about Claudia if she used the magic unwisely, he hadn't had a chance to talk to her about it since his mother died.

"If you remember that little fact you might also remember what I told you about primal magic. Humans are perfectly capable of learning it without the aid of primal stones."

Callum did remember that, but in all the chaos of his mother's funeral, he hadn't much time to think about it. "Can humans really learn primal magic? I've never heard of any person being able to do it."

"It's possible, I had many human apprentices in my time." Aaravos shrugged. "In truth, I don't see why the knowledge was lost, I can only assume that because dark magic is so easy to learn most human mages chose to use it exclusively resulting in primal magic being a lost art for humans. I will admit it was rather hard to train humans in primal magic, you must make a connection with the primal sources through deep meditation and training. Even my brightest pupils had to train for years before being able to cast even the most basic spells."

"It sounds hard..." Callum wasn't sure if he could do it, he had failed at everything in his life except for creating art. "I'm not a good warrior, what if I'm not a good mage?"

"You merely need the proper teacher, luckily you happen to have an archmage in your presence. I am one of the few individuals to have mastered all six primal sources, along with mastery over both blood magic and dark magic, as well as a few other types of magic even my own people are ignorant of." Aaravos stated proudly. "Young Prince, you were my salvation from my self imposed imprisonment. Since then I have done little other than hover around you, though you are too kind to admit it, my presence has been more of a hindrance then a blessing."

"That's not true!" Callum protested. "I really enjoy our conversations, I don't really have many friends since I moved to court so having you around has been fun."

"You are a very kind young prince, still I feel as if I've done little to repay my debt to you. So I will make you an offer." Aaravos gestured towards the Key of Aaravos which was sitting upon Callum's writing desk. "For the act of freeing me from that prison, I offer to take you on as my apprentice. I will teach you all there is to know about magic, instruct you in alchemy, artifice, rune-crafting, magical forging, and of course spell-casting. The training will be difficult but I promise to see you through it to the best of my ability. You will find that I am a strict but fair teacher and I promise that should you accept you will be powerful enough to protect your loved ones and crush any who might threaten them."

"Learning magic..." Callum wasn't sure how to respond to that, it seemed too good to be true. Could he really learn primal magic? He was unsure of how to respond to Aaravos's offer, what if he failed at being a mage? What if he couldn't do magic and failed at it the same way he had failed at everything else? He looked up at a wall of his best sketches, one of those sketches was of his mother shortly after his brother's birth. She was cradling Ezran lovingly, holding him tightly to her chest.

_'My mother is dead...King Harrow wasn't able to protect her. My brother will not share her fate.'_

"I accept your offer Sir Aaravos." Callum got to one knee the way he had seen numerous knights do when pledging themselves to service. "I promise I'll do my best to become a mage and swear to-"

"Oh get up little prince." Aaravos gestured for Callum to stand up so he did. "You are not swearing a knightly vow or pledging a sword in service to me. We shall be master and apprentice, it is a relationship based on mutual respect and understanding. I merely ask that you respect my teachings and follow my instructions. Do this and I promise you that you will be the greatest mage of this modern era."

"Yes, Master Aaravos," Callum said, the word master feeling strange on his tongue. "I promise to be the best apprentice I can be. Thank you for this opportunity."

"Don't thank me yet my apprentice," Aaravos responded, his tone kind but stern. "I said the training would be hard and it will be. You will wake up before dawn and not sleep until long past sundown. Your body will ache, your mind will be pushed to its limits, and there will be times where you will wish to quit."

"I won't," Callum said, he turned his gaze up towards his teacher. "I won't quit, I've failed at many things in my life but I won't fail at this." He looked up at his new master, eyes full of determination.

_'I will become a mage or die trying.'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, please drop a review/comment if possible. This section of fanfiction is so small that a review counts for a great deal. With so few readers of Dragon Prince every little bit of encouragement helps.
> 
> Surprised myself by writing this, I'm testing out writing chapters in the 5,000-word range to see how they flow. 
> 
> Aaravos the manipulator, from here on out there won't be as many parts written from his point of view, I don't like revealing his feelings or thoughts to the reader.
> 
> One person messaged me saying Callum is too mature for his age, a fair point but I'm mostly basing the way he talks and acts with Arya from a game of thrones who is of a similar age yet very mature all things considered. The truth is that I suck at writing kids, don't really interact with them at all so I have no idea how a six/seven-year-old should act. Just bear with me, I've tried to limit his vocabulary but its really challenging.
> 
> Anyway, please leave a review/comment/or just PM me if you have questions, I'm always willing to answer.


	3. The Training Begins

"It's been months, when is the training going to start?" Callum asked with frustration evident in his voice as he wrote down numerous notes as his master rattled off facts about magic.

"This is training, my impatient apprentice," Aaravos said, his voice stern. "Usually you would be studying philosophy and the basics of magical craft from my books, but those are back in Xadia assuming they weren't burnt by my enemies after I abandoned my body. So now we must start from scratch."

From scratch meant that Callum had to write his own books on the subjects he was supposed to learn. Aaravos was a living repository of information and as he read off facts Callum wrote them down into blank books he bought from a bookstore in town. It had been a little under half a year since he had agreed to become the elf's apprentice and in that time he had written over two dozen books on numerous subjects that the elf knew. Writing down everything his master said was effective for memorization but it was a time-consuming process and by the end of the day his hands ached. It made Callum happy he was ambidextrous since it allowed him to switch writing hands without damaging his handwriting.

"But I've written over two dozen books worth of information." Callum looked over to one of the bookshelves in his room which was filled with the books he had written from his master's lessons. "I don't see why I can't take notes on what you say instead of writing every word down."

"These books you are writing will lay the foundation for future disciples," Aaravos replied. "Once you have finished training you will be as skilled as a master, you will need to make disciples of your own someday and they will benefit from these writings. Besides my knowledge must be preserved for future generations."

"Well, I wanted to be a mage's apprentice, not a scribe," Callum grumbled as he looked down at the book he was writing. "When will I get to do some real magic?"

"That depends, did you get the things I asked for?"

"The things you asked for cost a great deal of money." Callum reached towards the end of his desk and grabbed a piece of paper. "An entire alchemy set, five logs of ironwood, a crystal viewing lens, a telescope, a blade of pure silver, and a bunch of other stuff that would cost a fortune!"

"In order for me to teach you, we need equipment." Aaravos pointed out. "We can start meditation training I suppose, but a good understanding of alchemy and herb-craft would help you become more familiar with the ways of the earth. Also, a telescope is necessary to learn about the stars and their secrets."

"Well none of this stuff is cheap, it would cost over a hundred golden royals." Callum pointed out as he set the list down. "Do you have any idea how much money that is?"

"Not at all." Aaravos shrugged dismissively. "Elven trading and money is very different from your human currencies. There are some societies in Xadia that don't use money at all, most people trade goods or favors with each other."

"Well, here in the human kingdoms we need money to buy things with," Callum explained, amazed that his knowledgeable master didn't understand the basics of human economics. "Money that we are lacking, no money means we can't buy any of this stuff."

"Are you not a prince?" Aaravos asked with confusion etched upon his face. "I thought as the son of a king you would have plenty of money."

"The king makes sure I want for nothing, but I'm not exactly swimming in gold or silver." Callum pointed out. "Plus if I asked him for even half this stuff he would wonder why, and I don't exactly want to explain to him now I need this stuff to learn magic from the ghost of a Startouch elf."

"So we need our own way to make money?" Aaravos pondered out loud as he began pacing the length of Callum's bedroom. "What does Katolis need? Is there a type of good we can create to sell to people?"

"Katolis mostly trades in valuable metals, weapons, and magical reagents." Callum pointed out, remembering when his parents had members of the merchants guild over for feasts at the castle. "Our Kingdom shares the border with Xadia so our people are always creating a large number of weapons for the border defense and selling the surplus weapons to neighboring kingdoms. Also since we share a border with Xadia plenty of magical plants and animals are taken from Xadia to be sold to other kingdoms. We also sell a great deal of wheat since our lands and climate are perfect for growing wheat, it's why most of our foods revolve around bread and why our baked goods are famed far and wide."

"Well, I doubt we could do anything with baked goods or magical creatures...weapons on the other hand..." Aaravos smiled as he nodded to himself "There is one thing I was close to perfecting before my self-imprisonment. A weapon of sorts that would have ensured safety and order for all of Xadia if it had been finished."

That bit of information interested Callum. "What kind of weapon?" He asked curiously. "I'm not exactly fond of creating something to hurt people."

"A weapon that could ensure peace and safety across Katolis, one that would make sure that the dragons never threaten your family ever again. It's the best kind of weapon, the game-changing kind." Aaravos turned to Callum. "I told you about how I was overthrown by my people when they turned against me, do you remember the story?"

"I do," Callum remembered Aaravos telling him about his past. The story was short and to the point but Callum remembered Aaravos claiming that he had been on the verge of creating a lasting peace between elves and humans when his political enemies had turned on him. "You said you and your followers made a last stand against the dragons and conservative elven elders who disagreed with your views on peace with humans. Although you were very vague on the details."

"Yes, well I planned on arming my followers with powerful weapons to ensure that we couldn't be harmed by my enemies but sadly before I could make that plan a reality my enemies struck." Aaravos grimaced as if the memory of his defeat left a bad taste in his mouth. "If we were to recreate my weapon you could sell it for a profit. That's how human economics works isn't it?"

"Kind of..." Callum wouldn't claim to be a master of finance but he knew there were steps to this. "First we would have to make this product of yours, and either try to sell it to the merchants guild or the king. I'm not really sure about how that works, I'm sure if we gave this weapon to my stepfather he would know what to do and we would receive a portion of the profits. What kind of weapon are you talking about anyway? Is it a new type of sword or is it magical in any way?"

"It has all the effects of magic without needing any magical materials. I had many followers who lacked magical ability but were still willing to fight so I created a weapon that would make a common soldier as deadly as a mage." Aaravos said, proudly. "We will at least need a alchemy set to make the proper reagents for it, also we need a competent blacksmith and woodworker to make certain parts, you can handle the assembly as well as sketching out the blueprints for it."

"Okay, what is it we are making?"

"A black powder of unparalleled strength as well as a weapon fueled by it. I call it Dragonsbane."

* * *

King Harrow stood in the middle of the courtyard of the castle, his stepson had set up a large table in the courtyard, the boy claimed he had something to demonstrate to him and his advisers. He had Lord Viren in attendance despite the man's protests but had decided to spare his other advisers having to come to his demonstration in case it amounted to nothing. Callum claimed he had discovered something that would change the way Katolis protected itself.

A year ago he would have laughed at such a thing, but it had been a year since Callum lost his mother and the boy had become far more distant and serious. So when he claimed over dinner last night that he wanted to show something of great importance to him and Viren he decided to take Callum seriously.

Callum was only seven yet he acted like he was twice his age. He had always been mature but after his mother's death, he had gone from a happy, curious child into a strange recluse who barely left his room. There had always been a distance between him and his stepson, but now that distance had grown exponentially. Harrow figured the boy blamed him for his mother's death, understandable considering he blamed himself for it.

"So what is this thing you wanted to show us, Callum?" Harrow asked with great interest. "You said it would help Katolis protect itself from dragons."

"Yes, we are all interested in knowing why you called us away from our very busy courtly duties..." Viren muttered disinterestedly, the man clearly wanted to be anywhere other than where he was.

"Well, I wanted to show you this." Callum picked up a small bowl from the table, it held a nondescript black powder. "This will allow us to defend our kingdom against dragons, and maybe change the world as we know it."

"Its...dirt?" Harrow asked as he looked at the powder, it smelt bad, like rotten eggs mixed with other things.

"Wow, I'm impressed." Viren gave a mock clap as he gazed at the bowl of strange powder with eyes full of boredom. "If the demonstrations over can we please return to our duties?"

"Viren..." Harrow growled, angry at his friend's dismissive attitude.

"What?" Viren asked impatiently "Your step-son discovered foul-smelling dirt, maybe he could go to the lake and discover water next."

"It's not dirt!" Callum protested angrily. "Its a special mixture of ingredients that can unleash great power when exposed to fire, watch." Callum put the powder ten yards away on the stone ground of the castle courtyard. The boy ran back and looked expectantly at Viren. "You can summon fire right? Throw a small bit of flame at the powder."

Viren looked like he was about to protest but Harrow glared at his friend which made it clear he was to humor the boy. Viren raised his hand and summoned a small fireball, no larger than a pebble and dismissively chucked it at the small bowl.

What followed was a massive explosion that deafened them and echoed throughout the courtyard. Numerous guards and sentries who had been either patrolling or watching the demonstration covered their ears. The bowl's contents exploded and sent shards of the bowl flying in all directions. One shard flew by harrows face so fast he couldn't even react to it but it did leave a cut on his cheek. "What the..." Harrow brought his hand up to the side of his cheek and felt the scratch that the shard had left, a small amount of blood was present on his fingers.

"Sorry!" Callum apologized as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "That batch was more powerful then I thought, but the results are great aren't they?"

"Callum...what was that?" Harrow asked as he looked at the scorched spot on the ground where the bowl had been,

"Was it magic?" Viren spoke up, his previous dismissive attitude gone as he walked to where the bowl had been and inspected the scorch marks on the ground. "What magical reagents did you use to get an explosion that big?"

Callum could barely contain his excitement as he began his explanation. "That's the beauty of it, theirs no magic involved. It's just some common ingredients that I combined together using the alchemy set you bought for me."

Harrow remembered buying the alchemy set several months ago, the boy had asked for it during dinner one night. It had seemed like a rather random request but Callum asked for so little that he had been happy to buy it for his stepson. "What would make you create a...whatever that was?" He gestured to where the bowl had been.

Callum cocked his head to the side innocently. "To protect us of course." The boy answered as if it was the most obvious question in the world. "Ever since mom was killed by the Dragon King I've been thinking of ways how I can protect the castle from dragons. I read around in the library to see how dragons were slain in the wars between humanity and the elves and found references to people from Neolandia using explosives to kill dragons."

"You're referencing the first dragon war." Viren nodded his head thoughtfully. "The explosives that were used back then were created by grinding up the Neolandian black scarab, a type of beetle found in the deserts. The powder created from the scarab was highly explosive and used in warfare, mining, and various other things. But the black scarab went extinct over four hundred years ago, hunted to extinction."

Callum nodded. "Yup they combined the ground scarab with charcoal to create the explosives. So I tried mixing charcoal with a bunch of other things to make my own version, eventually, I found a combination that worked." The young boy stated proudly.

"You just mixed random things together?" Viren asked, his voice showing that he found it hard to believe. "People have been trying to recreate that recipe for hundreds of years and failed...you did it through random chance?"

"Yup!" Callum stated happily, oblivious to the other men's wonder. "Pretty neat right?"

Harrow got over his shock and cleared his throat. "That's one way to put it..." He looked at the table where other bowls full of the strange black powder were. "So you've been making this stuff in your room?"

"Yeah," Callum answered innocently. "I've been careful though, I never have a flame near it."

"Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?" Harrow was impressed by the boy's ingenuity but completely blown away by his recklessness. "What if you had gotten hurt? Or blown half the castle up?"

"But I didn't."

"That's not the point! I...you..." Harrow was at a loss for words, Callum had managed to put him out of his element.

"Am I in trouble?" Callum asked as he looked at the ground, all his childish excitement seemingly evaporated. "I just wanted to make sure Ezran was safe from dragons after mom was killed..."

Harrow wasn't sure what to say, hearing the boy mention his mother made his chest tighten. He still hadn't gotten over Sarai's death, the only woman he had ever loved. "Callum..." Harrow bent down so he could look the boy straight in the eyes. "Its good of you to want to protect your brother and Katolis. But you're only a child, while I'm impressed by what you've made you should be outside playing, not making explosives in your room."

"But I want to protect Ezran from dragons..."

"I promise you that I will protect Ezran from dragons."

Callum's face hardened and he looked at Harrow with suspicious eyes. "You said the same thing to me when you left for Xadia, you said you would protect my mom and bring her home safe. All you brought home was her corpse. You couldn't protect her, so why should I trust you to protect Ezran?"

The blow hurt even if it was just words, truthful words from a boy who had every right to say them. Harrow found he had no words to offer the boy, any promises or reassurances would sound hollow to Callum, heck they would have sounded hollow to himself.

It was Viren who responded before Harrow could, he finished investigating the scorch marks on the ground and turned towards Callum. "Watch what you say, you might be a prince but Harrow is still your King."

"Enough Viren." Harrow ordered which made the mage back down. "He has every right to doubt me." He turned back to Callum. "Callum your mother...I did fail her and I failed you but I promise I won't fail Ezran. I know my promise must seem empty after everything you've been through but I swear on my life nothing will happen to you or Ezran as long as I draw breath."

"Then you'll use my weapon?" Callum pointed to the table he had set up where several more bowl of black powder was set up. "I made it for fighting off dragons, that way they won't come here."

Harrow turned his attention to what his stepson had created, he found it hard to believe a boy of seven could create a weapon, and yet here it was. A part of him wondered if Callum had outside help but the child had barely left his room since his mother's death and never the castle unsupervised. He walked over to the table and looked at the powder, something so powerful and it had been made by a child.

"This is dangerous..." Harrow muttered to himself, if a child could make it then others could as well. Unleashing something so powerful in the world would have dire consequences.

"To our enemies, yes," Viren said as he walked up alongside Harrow and looked at the table. "Think about it, something like this would ensure the security of all humanity. Not to mention revolutionize the world, its said Neolandia went through a golden age when they had their own version of this powder, only for the golden age to an end when they overhunted the black scarab."

Callum walked up alongside them and unrolled a sheet of paper on the table. "I also made this, it's still a rough idea but its a way to use the powder to shoot projectiles at enemies."

Harrow was surprised before but now he was nearly speechless. On the paper was a blueprint, beautifully drawn that depicted a weapon. He understood siege equipment fairly well but the diagram was too complicated for him. A part of him couldn't believe a child had made it but he had been watching Callum draw for years and recognized the boy's art skills in the blueprints. There were even a few childish doodles in the corners.

"This is..." Viren gazed at the blueprints with a hungry look in his eyes.

"Great right?" Callum finished as he pointed at the drawing. "So the idea is that you load the powder into the back, light it, then the force of the explosion propels a metal ball through the air. I'm no smith so I don't know how strong the metal has to be or how large stuff has to be but I think the idea is sound."

"The concept is sound." Viren agreed as he traced his hand over the blueprints. "We can have a few prototypes made, perhaps a contest of sorts. Call all the blacksmiths from all over Katolis and ask them to make a version of this weapon that works. The winner can be given a large reward and be taken into our service."

It was a sound idea, Harrow couldn't argue with his friend's plan. Yet a part of him was hesitant to use a weapon created by Callum. He doubted that Sarai would want her son to create weapons. And yet..."Do you think it could take down a dragon?" Harrow asked as he turned to Viren. The King of the Dragons had killed his wife, if this weapon could kill Thunder then it was worth a try.

"We would have to see." Viren looked over at the powder. "Even if the weapon doesn't work having this powder will aid us greatly. We could load it into barrels and fling it at our enemies with catapults and trebuchets. We could use it for clearing roadblocks and mining...so many possibilities." Viren looked down at Callum. "I'm sorry I doubted you, my prince. It seems as if you've just changed the course of human history."

Callum rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "That's great...I hate to ask but is it possible that maybe I could..." The boy was looking at the ground as if he was embarrassed or ashamed of something.

"What is it, Callum?" Harrow asked, unsure as to why the boy would be hesitant to say something.

"Could I get...paid for this?" Callum asked sheepishly, still looking at the ground as if he was unable to meet their eyes.

The question was a surprise to Harrow, ever since the boy had never asked for money before. He saw no issue with giving the boy money since it was his invention. "Of course, but why would you need money? If there is anything you want I'll happily buy it for you, Callum."

"I don't want to be a freeloader..."

"You're my son, perhaps not by blood but you are family." Harrow put a comforting hand on Callum's shoulder which made the boy raise his head. The boy's greens eyes were full of uncertainty.

"What about when you're gone?" Callum asked suddenly, surprising Harrow. "When Ezran becomes King am I going to just hang around the castle all day leeching off of my brother? I don't want people to think of me as a freeloader, people call me prince out of courtesy but we both know that people at court call me an up-jumped peasant boy..."

"Callum that's not..." Harrow paused, it was true that there were people who thought of him like that. There were many nobles that called him an up jumped peasant when they thought no one was listening, the pauper prince was the name some had given him along with several other unflattering nicknames. He tried to hide the boy from the whispers but it seemed as if he hadn't succeeded.

"You know its true. They call me names like the Pauper Prince, Bastard Prince, and most recently the Orphan Prince since my mother is no longer here." Callum interrupted, breaking Harrow from his thoughts. "They think I'm nothing more than a peasant that you allow to live in the castle out of sympathy. I want to be my own man someday and in order to do that I need money of my own, I don't want your charity or Ezran's charity. I need to make my own way in life. Otherwise when Ezran's King I'm just going to be the king's brother that eats the king's food and sleeps on the king's couch because he can't get a job."

Harrow found himself surprised by the boy's maturity and independence, it made him both proud and sad. Proud that the boy had such an independent attitude and desire to earn his own place in the world. Yet it also made him sad that Callum had to come to such a mature realization at a young age when he should be playing and enjoying the innocence of youth. His innocence died along with his mother Harrow realized, yet another thing for him to feel guilty about.

"Of course you'll be paid, it's only fair." Harrow looked at the powder closely, such a nondescript thing and yet a small amount of it held the power of a mage's fireball. "I'll pay you a great deal for the plans and recipe now, and I promise that you'll get a good percentage of any profits from sales with other kingdoms. No doubt, once word gets out the other four Kingdoms will pay a good deal for this."

"It could become our Kingdom's new export." Viren sniffed at a bowl of powder and grimaced at the smell. "So what's in this stuff? It smells like rotten eggs."

"The main ingredients are saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal." Callum produced a paper from his pockets with writing on it. "I've written the recipe down." He handed it to Viren who gazed at it eagerly.

"Such a simple thing...no magic reagents needed at all..." Viren muttered as he looked at the paper. He turned to Harrow. "My King with your permission I would like to begin getting things in motion to mass produce this stuff reliably."

"Permission granted." Harrow agreed as he looked at the black powder once again. "So Callum, does this creation of yours have a name?"

"I call it blasting powder since that's what it does, as for the weapon I sketched...Its called Dragonsbane."

* * *

"If you ever wish to quit being a mage you should take up a career as an actor," Aaravos said proudly as he looked at Callum with obvious pride. "You sold it all so perfectly, you had Harrow and Viren eating out of the palm of your hand. The way you turned it all around on Harrow by mentioning your mother so that he was on the defensive...pure brilliance."

Callum wished he could share his master's joy, instead of responding he simply threw himself onto his bed. The day had been exhausting, lying to his stepfather and Viren had taken all of his willpower. He let out a deep sigh as he sunk into his pillows, feeling the stress leave his body.

"What's wrong my apprentice?" Aaravos asked as stood on the side of Callum's bed. "You performed splendidly, one would think you were raised by traveling mummers."

"I don't like lying to my stepfather." Callum pointed out as he sat upon his bed. "Not to mention that we barely convinced them, if it wasn't for the fact people in Neolandia had discovered their own version of blasting powder I doubt they would have bought my story." It had been a stroke of pure luck that Aaravos had found references to the people of Neolandia creating an explosive powder in the past. It gave their lie the grounding it needed, the idea of Callum inventing blasting powder out of nowhere was too far fetched, but him discovering references in a book and recreating it was somewhat believable. "If they suspect I was lying..."

"They won't because your lies serve their agendas." Aaravos intoned. "People will believe just about anything as long as it gets them what they want. They want to believe that you invented blasting powder, Harrow in particular since he wants nothing more than to protect Katolis and you gave him the means to do so. The mage, Viren will also want to believe it since it opens so many doors for him. Lies are like the finest of wines, sweet and they taste delicious when drunk. Truth, on the other hand, tastes bitter and people will spit it out when it reaches their lips."

"Still, thank goodness you found that old book..."

"Now do you see why books are so important?" Aaravos asked smugly. "Perhaps now you won't complain so much when I send you to the library."

"I see why it's important," Callum grumbled. "That doesn't mean I like it."

"Now that we have future finances secure we can begin training." Aaravos gestured to Callum's desk. Harrow had been generous in offering a down payment for the blasting powder. Several bags of gold lay on his desk along with a small locked chest full of silver beneath his desk. Harrow claimed more was coming and that Callum should consider storing it in a bank or safe. Callum decided a safe would be his next investment after buying the items necessary for his training as a mage.

"Well, it will be a while until I can buy all that stuff on the list," Callum said as he gazed at his newfound wealth. "Is there anything you can teach me in the meantime? Something that doesn't involve reading old books?"

"You really should read the book of dragon runes and the book on the dragon tongue..." Aaravos muttered. "But I suppose I can teach you something...something I think is suited to your abilities in particular."

Callum felt excitement welling up in his chest, he was finally going to learn real magic. Something that didn't involve him just writing stuff down in book form.

"You are going to paint."

"What?" Callum asked, confusion evident in his voice. "How is painting going to make me a good mage?"

"It will make you a powerful mage, a lion among sheep, no not even a lion. You will be a dragon among sheep." Aaravos stated grandly. "I intend to teach you how to tap into all six primal sources eventually, but those lessons require reagents, and the ability to travel. So, for now, I must teach you a type of magic that requires none of those things."

"Why do I need to travel to learn magic?" Callum asked, not understanding why he couldn't learn how to do magic in his own room.

"Can you understand the ocean unless you swim in it? Unless you see it with your eyes?" Aaravos asked as he paced around Callum's bed. "Can you understand the Sky without venturing to the highest of mountains and seeing the vastness of the beyond? To understand the primal sources you must embrace them where they are strongest, Katolis castle is not the best location for it."

"Fine," Callum admitted defeat, he would learn whatever his teacher offered. "What am I learning then? I already know how to paint."

"Don't dismiss this lesson so quickly my impatient apprentice." Aaravos walked over to one of the walls of Callum's room where there was a painting. It was one of Callum's first real paintings, a picture of a knight riding on a horse, both the knight and horse were fully armored. The lines were rough and the brushstrokes raw and undisciplined but it was easy to make out what the painting depicted "This painting is a portal to a painted world, a world you created with your feelings and desires, your hopes and dreams."

"I painted it because I think knights are cool."

"You painted it because you wanted to be a knight back when you lived as a commoner before your mother married the King. You dreamed of being a knight whose chivalry and valor would win the heart of a princess. You wanted to take part in a tournament and become a champion, then you would crown a fair princess from a faraway land as the Queen of Love and Beauty, she would fall in love with you and take you as her king. Then you would be able to provide for your mother and ensure she wanted for nothing..." Aaravos finished grandly as he gazed at Callum. "A noble dream, the marrying a princess part might even come true once I teach you proper etiquette and social skills."

"I never told anybody that..." Callum felt like he had been read like a book. He had made that painting back when he was only five years old, a few months before his mother married King Harrow. He had used a cheap painting set that he had managed to buy from a merchant with some copper pennies he had scraped together by doing chores for some neighbors. "Did you read my mind? How did you-"

"The painting told me everything," Aaravos replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "When people create something whether it be a painting or even a tool, the creator's desires, hopes, and dreams rest within the object. One need only be a mage with an open mind to peer into such things."

"I'm no mage but I find it hard to believe a primal source allows you to see such things."

"The stars do." Aaravos pointed out the window of Callum's room, night had long since fallen and the sky was filled with stars. "Of all the primal sources the stars are least understood. Even I cannot claim to truly understand them. The powers of the stars are used mainly for divination, seeing the truth and bringing certainty where there is none. Some say its why Startouch elves like myself have much longer lives then other elves, we can live well over a thousand years and even if we dedicate ourselves to studying the stars that entire time we can only learn a fraction of what they have to teach us."

"The stars..." Callum knew from his brief time studying the primal sources in books that the stars were a primal source but never really understood how. The sun and the moon had immediate effects on the world with the sun providing warmth and the moon controlling the tides but the stars just seemed to be hanging out in the sky, not really doing anything.

"The least understood yet eldest of all the sources," Aaravos said as he gazed at them lovingly. "They hold dominion over the night sky, their power supersedes that of the moon. They will outlive all the other primal sources, one day the sun will burn out, the oceans will dry up, the earth beneath our feet will crumble, the sky will tear asunder, and the moon shall drift away...but the stars will persist. When they finally go out, all will descend into darkness and the void will rule all."

"That sounds...ominous." Callum hadn't seen Aaravos so serious before or so melancholy, the elf seemed so certain of the world's fate. He wondered if the stars had told him about the fate of the world.

Aaravos snapped out of his melancholy and turned to give his apprentice a smile. "Forgive me, apprentice, we got off-topic." He said, the sadness leaving his voice. "As I was saying I will teach you a type of magic only a skilled artist like you can master. Its creator called it ' _The Way of the Painted World'."_

The way Aaravos said ' _Its creator'_ implied he didn't create this form of magic. "So you didn't invent this kind of magic?"

"No sadly, I am many things but my artistic skills have always been mediocre at best.." Aaravos shrugged. "This type of magic was created by one of my most skilled disciples over a thousand years ago. She was the most talented painter in all of Xadia, the beauty of her paintings exceeded only by her own. You wouldn't recognize her name or even the name of her family but Kings and Queens beggared themselves to have their portraits painted by her skilled hand. The greatest human city of the time was named after her, and young men, both human and elf fought for her favor, happily shedding each other's blood if it only meant she would cast her gaze upon them. I watched her consider them all, measure their worth, and find them wanting. Then she made a different choice..."

Callum expected Aaravos to go on but instead, the elf was staring off into space seemingly lost in thought. "You alright master?" He asked as he waved his hand in from of the elf's face. That seemed to snap the elf out of his trance, and he coughed into his hand as if to clear his throat, although Callum doubted that a spirit even had a throat to clear.

"Apologies my apprentice," Aaravos said as he regained his composure. "When you get as old as I am you can get lost in your own memories. As I was saying this form of magic was created by one of my disciples. She is long since dead as are all my other students, so I think it only fitting I pass on their knowledge to you so that their memories can live on in you."

Callum felt honored at being trusted so much, he found himself rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "Thank you, master, so how do I use this ' _Way of The Painted World'_ ability?" Callum wasn't sure how painting could be used as a form of magic. He knew his drawing skill would come in handy when drawing magical runes but actual painting seemed a little far fetched.

"First you need to use the magical power that lies within your body to create reagents, we will also need some of your hair so you should get scissors or sharp dagger. We will need the dagger anyway to get your blood so-"

"Whoa hold on!" Callum didn't like the sound of what he was hearing. "Why would we need my blood and hair? I'm a human, I don't have a bit of magic in me!"

Aaravos shook his head in exasperation."I don't understand where you humans get these idiotic notions, of course, you're magic. You might lack the natural connection elves have to a primal source but your bodies, like all bodies, are made of the same stuff as magical creatures." Callum saw his teacher was getting into his lecture mode. "There is inherent power in blood and bone, in flesh and sinew. Humans are of this world as much as any other creatures, thus there is magic within you if you would only seize it."

Callum wasn't sure he entirely understood but he got the gist of it. "So...my hair and blood are magic?" He asked as he rubbed his hair, still not quite believing it.

"A living body is composed almost entirely of water, whether it be our blood or flesh. All water comes from the ocean, the food you eat comes from nature which means it is of the earth. You take magic into yourself every moment of the day. Whether it be eating, drinking, or warming yourself under the rays of the sun, even breathing is a form of magic since you take the sky into yourself with every breath." Aaravos explained. "Some creatures have a more natural connection to the primal sources but regardless of connection all creatures are made of magic because everything is magic." "

"Okay fine," Callum interjected, getting bored with this lecture. "Just explain to me why my blood and hair are needed for magic."

"First let's get that dagger and I will show you..."

* * *

Rain fell and splattered against Katolis castle as Callum worked his craft upon a canvas. Each brushstroke brought his creation closer and closer to completion until after an hour it was done. He finished the painting and gazed upon his handiwork. It was a painting of a white wolf standing proudly in a dark forest with a tree in the background, the tree had white bark and red leaves the color of blood.

"Beautiful work my apprentice." Aaravos clapped as he gazed upon the finished work. "In a few years you will surpass the skills of even the greatest elven masters, and they spend over a hundred years of training in their art."

"I appreciate the compliment but I hope its worth it," Callum grumbled as he looked at his freshly wrapped left hand where he had to cut himself. "Otherwise I cut myself and gave myself a bad haircut for no reason." It had been a little over two months since he had begun his training in ' _The Way of The Painted World'_ and it had been rough. Learning incantations, using his blood to pigment the paint, and cutting his own hair and weaving it into brush heads for paintbrushes. Not to mention brushing up on his painting skills, he rarely painted and preferred to sketch, so most of the paintings he had done recently didn't reach his teacher's high standards. There was a large pile of failures in the corner that hadn't met his master's standards.

It wasn't merely the quality of the work either, in order for this ability to work Callum found he had to focus on what he was painting and pour his feelings and emotions into each work.

_'Your blood will fuel the work and bind it to you, but it's your feelings and emotions that will bring the work to life.'_ Were his teacher's exact words when Callum had finished producing an unsuitable piece of art that didn't quite make the cut. With each mistake it required him to shed more blood and lose more hair, eventually, people would start to notice his hair getting shorter with each passing day.

"A few drops of blood in the paint and a paintbrush made of your hair are a small price to pay for the wonders you will be creating," Aaravos stated as if he sensed his apprentice's thoughts.

"Assuming it works." Callum looked at the painting with uncertainty, it was certainly one of his best pieces of art that he had ever created but he had doubts about this whole thing.

"It will, the feelings and emotions you pour into your work will give them the life that they deserve. This painting, in particular, I can sense the wonder and emotion you poured into it." Aaravos said with a great deal of pride in his voice. "Might I ask why you painted a wolf in a forest?"

"After I became a prince my mother took me through the Kingswood, a place where only nobility are allowed to hunt and frolic. The trees were beautiful, more beautiful than any I had ever seen before. Some had black bark, others had leaves that were golden, but one had bark that was as white as snow with leaves the color of blood." Callum remembered that day, his mother had taken him out for a picnic in the woods. "Out of nowhere a large wolf came out of the foliage, it was white and it stood before the tree, gazing at us with curious eyes. After watching us for several seconds it ran off into the foliage, my mother claimed it was a forest spirit that was watching over us to make sure we were safe. Now I know she was making it up to entertain me but back then I believed it and thought the wolf was my guardian spirit."

"A powerful memory, that pretty much guarantees that this will work." Aaravos nodded. "Begin casting the spell my apprentice, and remember that this is blood magic. You will feel lightheaded and a little weak after the spell is cast, that's normal. Unlike dark magic which taps into the life force of others you are tapping into your own, it will eat away your stamina but you will not suffer the diminishing returns of dark magic."

Callum nodded, next were the words, his first real attempt at magic. He gazed at the painting, at the wolf he had painted with all his heart, pouring his feelings into the work.

"Dlrow detniap eht fo tsaeb, nrob eb doolb sretniap eht yb!" Calluim called out, he felt a pull from within, like every cell of his body, was alight, a feeling of pure exhilaration which lasted only a second before passing, leaving him feeling like he had just finished sprinting around the castle courtyard.

The painting seemed to shift and the picture came to life, the wolf which was standing proudly as the centerpiece of the painting started to move and soon jumped out of the painting. The painting was rather small with the canvas being a 22 by 24 canvas. Yet when the wolf leaped out of the painting it was the larger than a pony, easily twice the size of the largest hunting hound. Callum looked at it with wonder, it was pure white just like it was in the painting, it stood proudly, looking every bit as real as a real animal.

"Marvelous..." Aaravos murmured, pure wonder in his voice. "It's just as beautiful as the ones she used to create..."

Callum reached out to touch it and was surprised to feel that its fur felt every bit as real as a real animal fur would. "Is it real? It doesn't feel like its made of paint at all." He looked back at the painting canvas and saw it was the same with the exception of the wolf being gone, much to his amazement the spot where the wolf once was had paint on it, as if Callum had painted the picture normally without adding the wolf. There was the dark forest floor and a bush where the wolf had once been.

"It feels real because of the detail and love you put into your painting," Aaravos answered, cutting Callum's observations of the canvas short. "A less skilled artist would create a much inferior product, it would look fake and its movements would be strange and foreign. But with your talent as an artist, it looks and acts like the real thing. Just keep in mind that it's not very sentient, it will obey commands but it lacks a free will of its own. It's bound to you through the blood you used in the paint's pigment so you can command it easily. Go ahead and try."

Callum picked up an old paintbrush and held it up. "Fetch!" he called out as he threw it to the other side of the room. The wolf instantly sprang into action and retrieved the paintbrush and brought it back, its tail was wagging.

As Callum glanced at the wagging tail and realistic behaviors it made him wonder just how real the beast was, could something so real be a mere painting?

"It acts real because of your feelings when you were painting it, whether consciously or unconsciously you were putting your feeling and the very concept of a wolf into the work." Aaravos pointed out as if he had sensed Callum's thoughts. "If you were to cut it open it will bleed red paint and have organs made out of paint. After it suffers a mortal wound it will dissolve into a puddle of paint, that also means that you can summon it when in the rain. Water is paint's natural enemy so a rainstorm of any form of liquid will severely damage your creations."

"If it bleeds...can it die?" Callum asked, not feeling entirely comfortable with the way the conversation was going.

"It's not really alive, for all its realistic behaviors it still lacks a soul," said Aaravos as he walked around the wolf, observing its features. "Think of it as a golem made out of paint, a soulless construct that will serve and obey its creator. Now we should probably get rid of it before someone comes in and sees it."

Callum nodded, his master had taught him an incantation to return the creature to the painting. He looked at the beast as he mentally prepared himself for the return spell.

"Dlrow detniap eht fo savnac eht ot nruter!"

The wolf instantly obeyed and jumped into the painting from whence it had come. Callum looked at the painting and saw it was just as it had been before, a picture of a white wolf standing in a forest.

Aaravos nodded his approval at his apprentice's progress. "Magnificent, you have surpassed even my greatest expectations. A marvelous demonstration of Blood magic, perhaps the first to be done in ages."

"Are you sure it's safe?" Callum had been worried about performing magic of this kind since it was so similar to dark magic, but his teacher had reassured him no harm would come to him. "Did I look like Viren when I was casting the spell?"

"Of course not." Aaravos scoffed. "Like I've explained to you many times before blood magic isn't technically dark magic. It might use the same ritual and incantations but since you are using your own blood and life-force as the fuel for the spell and not those of a magical creature, theirs no foreign magic entering your body to poison you. The only weakness is that each spell will slightly exhaust you since you are using your own energy. But as you use this type of magic your ability to cast spells in succession will increase as your natural energy reserves expand until you can cast the greatest of spells without breaking a sweat."

"So its sort of like mana."

"Mana?" Aaravos asked the word was seemingly foreign to the elf. "Is that some kind of food?"

"Its a class resource that mages use in some of the games back at the Banther Lodge. You use it to cast spells and the higher level your mage gets the more mana you have to cast spells with."

"I guess its similar? In the case of blood magic, it's your body's natural life force, it will get stronger as you get older, live a healthy life, and exercise it by practicing magic." Aaravos explained. "Just keep in mind that as you use more of your own lifeforce in spell casting you will get weaker the same way you would by sprinting or doing physical exercises. If you keep casting spells after you've exhausted yourself you can damage your body and even die if you push yourself to the extreme."

"Ouch.."

"Which is why we will be teaching you primal magic when the time is right. I have no intention of having a one-trick pony as an apprentice." Aaravos looked at the painting. "Even if it is a wonderful trick."

"Sounds good." Callum felt reassured by his master's words and he felt joy well up inside him. He had finally done it! He had performed real magic, he wanted to run out and tell everyone but he realized that wouldn't be possible.

"Why do you look so sad my apprentice? You should be proud of what you've accomplished." Aaravos tried to put a comforting hand on Callum's shoulder but it simply phased through which made the boy shiver from the chill that went through him.

"Its just...I've done this amazing thing but I can't tell anybody about it. I wish I could show Harrow or Ezran, or Claudia my new ability." Callum kicked at the ground and sulked. "They would ask questions and get suspicious."

"Not necessarily," Aaravos said drawing the boy's attention. "You should start taking part in Claudia's lessons with her father, at least enough so that everyone knows you understand the fundamentals of dark magic. Then you quit taking lessons and bring out this ability a few months later, claim that you discovered it yourself after experimenting with the concepts you learned from Viren and Claudia."

"Do you think that will work?" Callum asked hopefully, the idea of showing off his new ability exciting him.

"As I said, people love the taste of lies," Aaravos replied smugly. "Give it enough time, claim you are trying out magic of your own and when you unveil your abilities everyone will believe you, thinking you a prodigy."

It made sense, but it made Callum realize something else. "I can explain away this type of magic since it's so similar to dark magic, but if you start teaching me primal magic they will get suspicious since people think humans cant do primal magic without a primal stone."

"Then we get you some primal stones," Aaravos answered nonchalantly. "You will learn to do magic without them but keeping them on your person to dispel suspicion. I have certain plans involving primal stones anyway so getting them will help us when I begin to teach you primal jewel crafting. For now, let's focus on the present." He turned back to the painting of the wolf. "In order to summon efficiently outside of an art room, you must learn to paint on simple paper which can be rolled into scrolls for mobile use."

"So you're saying if I paint my paintings on scrolls I can summon a wolf wherever I want?" Callum felt excitement as he imagined the possibilities.

"I am saying that when you have mastered this art you will be able to summon an army wherever you want."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yet another chapter, I'm surprising myself with how much I'm writing. Breaking out of a slump I've been in.
> 
> Thank you for the review/comments, it encourages me to continue writing this.
> 
> Gunpowder, Aaravos reveals the secrets of gunpowder to humanity with Callum as a proxy. No doubt you all caught on to his plans, a more powerful humanity means he's one step closer to getting his revenge upon the dragons and elves. It will be a long time until humanity has mastered cannon technology and how to use the gunpowder, so don't expect people to be running around with M16s in this story. At most, they will have extremely basic firearms in the future.
> 
> Blood magic...yeah I'm taking some creative liberties. Blood is seen used in the show numerous times, Viren uses his own blood to complete a spell to communicate with Aaravos, also the candles they use to summon monsters are actually made of the blood of the fallen monsters. That's why near the end of season 2 when Viren summons Moonshadow wraiths, its implied he used the blood of the fallen moonshadow assassins to create those monsters. Blood candles...this show is great. So I'm expanding upon the idea of blood being a powerful source for casting spells. Also since the shows creator worked on Avatar and Avatar had bloodbending, I can't resist including it.
> 
> I also feel like Callum's skill in the arts should be an intrinsic aspect of his ability to do magic, using his blood and energy to literally bring his art to life. Every artist's dream come true.
> 
> I've been keeping Aaravos past under wraps because I don't want it to contradict whatever the show reveals too much. So it's mostly vague. Im curious if the show will have him go full evil or not, I dislike pure evil characters. In my opinion, the best villains are those that view themselves as a hero.
> 
> Also, there will be numerous time skips, as you noticed months passed between scenes of this chapter, future chapters will probably have time skips that take place over years.


	4. Chapter 4

Harrow sat upon the throne in the castle's great hall as he watched his stepson set up a large easel in front of the throne. The easel held a painting, one Callum claimed was worthy of his attention as he wanted to show him something he had been working on for a long time. Viren had objected since they had many duties to attend to today but Harrow made sure to make time for his stepson, and to annoy his friend he had him come along and he now stood next to Harrow looking ever impatient.

His friend objections mattered little, Callum had become reclusive ever since his mother died, rarely venturing out of his room unless it was to take meals or spend time with his younger brother. So when he asked over breakfast if he could show him something he had been working on Harrow had agreed instantly.

' _At least he's not showing me_ _another weapon, the one he created is creating enough work as it is.'_ Harrow thought as he watched his stepson continue setting up the easel. It had been almost two years since Callum had given them the black powder, and since then creating it was the top priority of the Kingdom. Harrow had assigned his best men to work on it and even now they were streamlining the manufacturing of it so that it could be reliably mass-produced.

What they were producing was being studied and applied to weapons that Neolandia had helped them develop with old schematics from back when Neolandia had a similar type of black powder. He was already pulling some soldiers back from the front lines to begin training with them to see how they performed. He was also having some of his navy fitted with a few prototype weapons that some of the best smiths in Katolis had developed.

Before he could think more on the black powder Callum finished setting up the easel and called for his attention which he was happy to give.

"As you all know I tried my hand at learning magic with Claudia but failed miserably..." Callum began, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "While I respect your magic Lord Viren I find the art rather...ghastly."

"A common sentiment held by many, I won't hold it against you, my prince," Viren answered politely. "My form of magic requires a certain stomach due to the more...unique aspects of the art."

' _That's_ _a diplomatic way of putting it.'_ Harrow thought as he remembered when Callum had out of nowhere begun attending lessons that Claudia had with her father. He had been eager to learn magic but when he tried to grind up magical creatures and use their body parts for spells the boy had literally vomited. He was actually glad Callum had failed at learning dark magic, while he respected the power of the art it wasn't something he wanted Callum to learn, especially with how the boy's mother had viewed dark magic.

"I just don't like the idea of using other living creatures to cast spells," Callum said earnestly. "It just seems sort of...mean?" Callum said as if trying to find the right words.

"Is it really my prince?" Viren asked as he began entering his lecture mode. "Its the only way humans can use magic, not to mention I view it as practical and non-wasteful. We eat animals all the time and use their skins to make clothes and other goods. So why not use their blood and bones for spells? I use every part of the magical creature and let none of it go to waste."

Harrow shook his head, he had heard his friend make this speech many times. "Enough Viren, we've heard this lecture of yours enough times to repeat it by heart." He turned to Callum and urged the boy to continue with his presentation.

Callum nodded. "Well, the point is I wanted to learn how to do magic without having to use magical creatures as reagents. I looked in the library and found a book on blood candles."

"Blood candles?" Harrow asked, never hearing of such a grisly term before.

"Candles made out of the blood of a magical creature," Viren answered academically. "If you take a magical creature, mix its blood with fat and with beeswax you can make what's called a blood candle. When it's lit you can speak a special incantation and blow on it to create a spectral wraith made from smoke and ash. They are useful servants and depending on what creatures blood you use they can be very deadly."

"Exactly." Callum nodded. "I researched how blood is used in various ways in spells like that and learned that human blood works for such spells."

"Barely.' Viren scoffed. "Blood candles made with human blood are drastically inferior to their magical counterparts, that is when the spell even bothers to work at all."

Callum ignored Viren's comment. "The concept was sound and I read about how mages use their own blood to bind objects and magical items to their will." Callum continued as he reached for the cloth that covered the easel and yanked it away. "Which is what made me create this."

Harrow looked at the painting and was amazed at the quality of the work of art. It depicted a knight in shining armor with a red cloak and clutching a large greatsword. The knight stood proudly in the midst of what seemed to be a castle courtyard. The work itself looked like it would fit into place as a masterpiece upon the walls of a museum or even a palace. He had paintings in the castle that were painted by master artists that didn't even come close to the quality of the painting before him.

"You've gotten really good at painting Callum." Harrow praised his stepson as he got up off of the throne and walked down to get a closer look at the painting. "If you wanted to you could make a fortune painting portraits for the nobility of this kingdom or even neighboring kingdoms."

"It is impressive," Viren admitted as he walked to get a closer look at it. "But why would your research into magic and blood lead you to create this?"

"Watch and see." Callum turned to the painting and held out his hand as if he were reaching into the work of art.

"Dlrow detniap eht fo thgink, norb eb doolb sretniap eht yb!" Callum called out as he stretched his hand towards the painting.

Much to everyone's amazement, the painting began to move as the painted scenery seemed to come to life. The knight which had once been on the painting literally leaped out of it and landed on the floor of the great hall. Then figure was massive, far bigger then it had been on the canvas, the knight stood around seven feet tall and stood at attention in front of the painting clutching his massive greatsword in both hands.

Numerous members of the Crownguard who had been watching the proceedings with only slight interest were now at attention, drawing their swords and surrounding the strange knight with several taking up positions next to Harrow, raising their shields to guard him.

"Stop!" Callum stood in front of the knight and held his hands up to stop several of the guards. "He's friendly and completely under my control!"

"Listen to your prince!" Harrow ordered as he pushed through the guards that surrounded him, he didn't want so many drawn swords near his stepson. The soldiers instantly obeyed and lowered their weapons, but it was clear that they were ready to spring into action at a moment's notice.

"Callum..." Harrow gazed at the knight standing in the center of the room, not really believing what he was seeing. "What is going on?" He looked at the knight which was perfectly still as if it was made of stone. Its armor shone in the sunlight that streamed through the windows of the hall and its cape even fluttered slightly with a passing breeze from one of the windows.

"This is what I've been working on." Callum gestured towards the massive armored figure. "With a little bit of magic, I can bring my art to life."

"I thought you said you didn't have the stomach do use dark magic and yet..." Viren walked up to the knight and observed it closely, although harrow noticed his friend was keeping a tight grip on his magic staff. "What type of creatures did you have to use to get this effect? I assume ground up basilisk scales mixed into the paint along with some hemlock essence..."

"I didn't use any magical creatures," Callum answered which caused Viren to pause his observations.

"None?" Viren asked skeptically. "Then how did you manage it?"

"I used my own blood." Callum lifted his left hand up which was wrapped up with linen. "I also drew it using a paintbrush made out of my hair."

Harrow listened intently as Callum began describing how he had managed to create living art by mixing his own blood with his paint and creating brushes with his own hair, he also described the arduous task of painting each work with as much emotion and feeling as he could so that the art would be given life through his raw emotions. Harrow didn't understand half of what the Callum was saying and the other half he only half understood.

"And then I speak the incantation and bam!" Callum gestured dramatically towards the knight as if he was introducing someone. "I can bring to life whatever I can paint...within reason. The bigger the thing I want to bring to life the more energy I need to give. I tried summoning a dragon and...that did not go well..." The boy pouted the way only a child could.

"The incantation," Viren said thoughtfully. "Its _'By the painter's blood be born, knight of the painted world'_...is that how it's said?"

Harrow observed Callum's eyes widen in surprise the way only a child's eyes were able to. "Wow, I cant believe you managed to understand that. To be honest, learning to speak backward to cast the spell is harder for me than painting the picture."

"All very interesting." Harrow interrupted in an attempt to get control of this conversation. While listening to Viren and Callum exchange information was illuminating he wanted to understand what was going on. He walked up to Viren who was still analyzing the knight. "What do you think Viren? Have you ever seen anything like this?"

His adviser shook his head. "Never seen anything like this but I've read some old texts that mention artists being able to bring their art to life, although in those cases it referenced sculptors mixing their blood with stone and clay to make a golem. I've never seen or heard of someone doing it with paint before."

The fact that such creations existed soothed some of Harrow's fears. "Is it really paint?" Harrow walked up to the knight which had been perfectly still this entire time. He cautiously began observing it, noting how real it looked. Its armor shone like metal, its cape fluttered with the slight breeze in the great hall. Yet he couldn't see its face since it was fully armored and its great helm concealed its entire face. After some verbal encouragement from Callum, he got close and touched the breastplate of the knight's armor. He was surprised to feel solid steel, as strong as any steel the smiths in his service would be able to forge.

"It's all solid." Callum pointed out happily. "I'm not sure how it works but I think the paint takes on the strength and nature of whatever it is I'm painting. I painted a knight so my idea of a knight came to life, and since a knights armor is made of steel the paint has the properties of steel. He can even fight like a real soldier."

"Really?" Harrow was surprised by that, a living painting that could fight. "Wouldn't mind testing that out."

"You can try it out if you want, I've run a few tests already. You can try sparring with him, you can attack and he will defend himself." Callum turned to the knight. "Although you aren't allowed to hurt the King, understand?" Callum asked the knight politely.

Much to everyone surprise the Knight turned its head towards Callum and nodded, the first real movement it had done since being summoned.

"Does it understand you?" Viren walked up close and peered at the knight's hidden face as if trying to see through the slit in its great helm where its eyes would have been. "Is it sentient of just a dumb lump of paint? Can it even understand full sentences?" The second those words left Viren's lips the Knight turned to him and let out a bestial growl.

Viren jumped back with a yelp and brought his staff out in front of him, unfolding it in one swift motion. Several of the Crownguard also drew their weapons and appeared ready to jump in at a moment's notice.

"He understands well enough," Callum answered as he ordered the knight to calm down, the knight obeyed and resumed its silent vigil. "I've tried bringing numerous paintings to life, all have varying degrees of intelligence. I've only been doing this successfully for a few months so there is a lot I don't fully understand."

"That's what concerns me, is this even safe?" Harrow had to resist lecturing Callum earlier when the boy mentioned he had been cutting himself to add blood to his paint sets, but at the time his curiosity overrode his parental desire to protect his stepson.

Viren provided the answer. "Every text I've read and my own personal experience says it is safe, as long as a creature or golem are bound by the summoner's blood then they cannot hurt the summoner or disobey them."

Harrow felt a headache building up behind his eyes, he looked at Viren who was still studying the knight, albeit at a much greater distance than before. Harrow also looked at Callum who was looking at him with big green eyes that seemed to be begging for praise and approval. "Callum, what you've accomplished here is...amazing." He said although in his mind he also added words such as dangerous, and reckless. "I'm really proud of you and your-" He looked at the knight which had resumed its silent sentry. "-art. I'll make sure the chefs prepare your favorite meal tonight so that we can celebrate."

Harrow watched as his son's eyes lit up proudly. "Thank you, my King, but you haven't even seen him fight yet. He can spar with you or maybe some of the guards." The boy offered as he gestured towards the silent knight.

"Some other time, for now, you should go outside and enjoy yourself. I have other duties to attend to, we can talk again at dinner."

"Alright." Callum agreed as he turned to the knight once more. "Time for you to return home."

The painted knight nodded and turned back towards the painting it had initially come out of. Harrow watched as Callum began another incantation.

"dlrow detniap eht fo savnac eht ot nruter." Callum called out which caused the knight to jump back into the painting where it resumed its previous place as the centerpiece of the artwork. Callum then picked up the painting and easel and walked out the great hall with a spring in his step.

Once Callum was gone Harrow dismissed his guards and had Viren join him in the royal office where he did most of his paperwork. Once they were in his office he had Viren take a seat as he poured himself and his adviser a drink.

"Isn't it a bit early for that your majesty?" Viren asked as he leaned back in his seat. "You were always against drinking while the sun is out."

Harrow let out a chuckle as he finished pouring some Rivendarian Red, the best wine from a border region in Duren. "That's the nice thing about being King, I can break any rules I want, even my own." He finished pouring the wine into two fine crystal glasses and handed one to his friend who took a small sip. Harrow seated himself and took a deep gulp, not even bothering to enjoy the taste of the drink.

"So...your stepson, the prince has..."

"Surprised us once again?" Harrow finished as he leaned into his chair. "That boy...ever since his mother was killed he's become a stranger to me, and all these things he's managed to do...what do you think about all this?"

Viren took another sip of his wine before answering. "To be honest it's hardly surprising."

Harrow was taken aback by his friends remark, how could the man find this unsurprising? "Would you mind explaining to me why it's not surprising that my stepson has managed to create an alchemical weapon that people have been trying to create for centuries, and also managed to create his own unique form of magic that involves bringing paintings to life? One of those things is a surprise, but both of them? I don't even know what to call it, perhaps unprecedented?"

"Perhaps." Viren allowed. "But do you remember how I was after my parents passed away?"

Harrow did remember, Viren's parents had passed while fairly young, back when the two of them were both boys. Viren was a mage's apprentice who barely took the magical arts seriously and preferred to sneak out at night to the local taverns to flirt with women, Harrow even remembered that his friend briefly took up playing the harp so that he could impress girls. But after his parents passing Viren had thrown himself into his craft and in a few years became a master of the magical arts.

"I remember..."

"So is it so surprising for the prince to do the same?" Viren asked as he took another sip of his wine. "Claudia did the same thing when my wife and I separated. Soren also did something similar. Claudia never gave magic a single thought before her mother and I split up. But only a few days after her mother left she demanded to learn magic, Soren did the same with swordsmanship. It seems prince Callum has chosen a similar path, although a much more interesting one."

"You've been a father longer then I have so I'll trust your judgment on this." Harrow sunk deeper into his seat. "I still don't like it, Callum used to wander the castle, draw pictures of everything in sight and constantly ask if he could go riding through the woods or explore the countryside, but now all he does is lock himself in his room and...make weapons and paintings that can come to life!"

"Great accomplishments for one so young, I'm a bit jealous. It wasn't until I was fourteen years old that I made earthshaking breakthroughs in magic, whereas your son has managed to do it far sooner. Creating blasting powder at the age of seven and paintings that can come to life at nine years old, that's one for the history books."

"Do you think he's had help?" The idea was ludicrous but it wouldn't leave Harrow's mind, could the boy have been learning this sort of stuff through a third party?

"Where would he learn such things? The prince never leaves his room, also every single thing he's revealed so far has never been seen before. If there were people capable of creating a blasting powder or creating living art I would have heard about it." Viren shrugged. "The boys a prodigy in his own way, you should be proud of him. He managed to create his own form of magic after only attending a few classes with Claudia, a form of magic that doesn't tap into the energy of other creatures."

His friend was right, it's not as if the castle had anyone other then Viren who could have taught Callum how to do magic like that. The boy was smart and a quick learner so it all made sense."I am proud of him, but its not the type of childhood I had hoped for him." Harrow felt like he was letting Sarai down by letting Callum grow so distant to everyone. "I want him to spend time with friends, have fun, do childish things."

Viren got up and began pacing the room, a sign that the man was on the brink of coming up with a great idea. "Hmmm, you could have him tour the five kingdoms..."

Of all the things he expected his friend to say, that was not one of them. "Tour the five Kingdoms? The boys only nine years old and you want me to send him away?"

"Would it really be so bad?" Viren asked as he crossed his arms. "He is a prince, perhaps not by blood but the fact still stands. He will never sit the throne of Katolis but he is the future king's brother and perhaps a future adviser. It would be good for Callum to learn about the other Kingdoms so that he is better able to help his younger brother rule one day. One might say that it is his duty to do such a thing, it would also help improve relations with the other four kingdoms."

"True..." Harrow did see the sense in it but the idea of sending Callum away from his brother, a tour of the other four kingdoms would take two months at the minimum, even longer since each king and Queen of the other kingdoms would want to show their hospitality as was custom when foreign nobility visited.

"Also..." Viren began in a tone that Harrow knew meant his friend was about to deliver a logical finishing blow to finish off his argument. "Your stepson needs friends, the only people in this castle that are near his age are Soren and Claudia. The three are somewhat close but are often busying themselves with their own projects to truly become comrades. What if we sent the three of them out together? Three children traveling the other Kingdoms together, bonds are built in such a way, the kinds of bonds that last a lifetime. they would also be able to meet their future compatriots since the other Kings and Queens will have children at the court near the age of our children's, why not let them get to know their future political allies and rivals alike?"

"Would your children be okay with being sent away?"

"Claudia has always wanted to go to the magical libraries of the other kingdoms and Soren has wanted to learn other forms of swordsmanship that the other kingdoms teach their soldiers." Viren nodded to himself. "I think they would love the opportunity to travel."

"Callum might argue, but it would be good for him to leave this castle, he's barely left it in the last three years." Harrow could count the number of times the boy had left the boundaries of the castle with both hands and still have some fingers left over. "Who would take them though? Both of us are needed her to see to the blasting powder production and restructuring of the border defenses."

"Councilor Opeli has been wanted to renegotiate several trade agreements with the other kingdoms." Viren offered helpfully. "She can get that out of the way while taking our children on a tour of the other Kingdoms."

"It would be pragmatic...you've convinced me," Harrow said. "Now we just need to iron out the details. I suppose they could go by ship and-" It took several hours and the entire bottle of Rivendarian red before the two of them finished planning their children's trip around the Kingdoms. Viren stumbled off to find his bedchamber which left Harrow alone in his office. As he opened his office door to leave he felt a terrible chill go through his body as if a gust of winter wind had struck him, chilling him to the bone. Yet when he looked at the window it was still daylighted out with the summer sun blazing down.

"Strange, I felt a chill…why was it so cold all of a sudden in the middle of summer?"

He looked around his office and got no answer.

* * *

"He wants to send me away!?" Callum couldn't believe what his master had told him, the King planned on sending him away to the other kingdoms, for upwards of half a year without even asking if he had wanted to go.

"He wants you to socialize more," Aaravos said calmly, the elf had followed King Harrow and Viren after Callum's demonstration to watch them and had reported all he had heard to his apprentice. "Apparently he thinks that you spending so much time developing weapons and painting is unhealthy for you."

"I knew I shouldn't have shown him my magical paintings." Callum looked at a wall of his latest creations, numerous paintings he had worked on over the last year. It had been torture hiding his ability from his friends and family but he did it so that he had a realistic time frame for developing the ability without help after attending classes with Claudia. "First the powder and then this, we should have known he would get suspicious if he finds out about you..."

"They don't suspect me and even if they did they wouldn't be able to see me," Aaravos answered dismissively. "They believe your abilities are completely self-taught, a seed we watered well so far and one I hope will continue to grow. Harrow merely believes you need to socialize with others, and thinks a few character-building months traveling the human kingdoms will aid in that...which is something I agree with, you could do with a bit of traveling."

Callum couldn't believe what he was hearing his master say. "You want me to travel? Why would you want me to leave the castle? You're supposed to be training me to do magic."

"Which will be easier if we aren't here." Aaravos pointed out. "We've been stuck in this castle for almost three of your human years, you can't leave this place without a heavy escort and sneaking out is nearly impossible."

"I'll still have an escort when we travel..."

"A smaller escort, not the army of soldiers that are present here." Aaravos began pacing the length of Callum's room. "Also you've pretty much learned everything I can teach you within the restrictions of your bedroom. All other training requires you to at least be able to tap into the primal sources if we travel we can find areas where you can be properly trained in primal magic."

Callum hadn't thought of that, he had been wanting to learn primal magic for years but it hadn't been possible in the castle. He and his master had tried to have him tap into the sky arcanum by meditating on the tallest watchtower of the castle but it hadn't been possible due to all the guard patrols. If he traveled the other kingdoms there would be plenty of opportunities for him to be out in nature.

"Fine...I guess seeing the other kingdoms would be interesting, I just don't like the idea of leaving my brother behind." Callum said sadly, one of the few highlights of his day was playing with his little brother, the boy had just turned five and was a bundle of energy.

"Your little brother will be fine," Aaravos assured. "For now you should think about packing, you will need your painting supplies as well as all that equipment I told you to buy for training, also we will need to take a great deal of gold. Several large chests should be enough."

"Why so much?"

"We still need to buy you primal stones so that others won't be suspicious of you." Aaravos pointed out. "I intend for you to be able to tap into the primal sources at will, the primal stones will hide that ability. Also, they will be useful when it is time for you to come into your own power as an archmage."

"What do you need them for?"

"Patience my young apprentice." Aaravos soothed. "All will become clear in time, you might be able to call yourself a mage but you won't be able to call yourself an archmage until you can tap into all the primal sources. A rare feat even for elves."

That statement confused Callum. "Why aren't more elves archmages? You guys already have a natural connection to primal sources, it should be easy for your people."

"My people..." Aaravos practically spate out the word 'people' as it came from his lips. "They are content with what they are born with, most elves are happy with their connection to a primal source and never bother to expand their knowledge. I might be a Startouch elf but I know more about the nature of the sun then a Sunfire elf and more about the moon then a Moonshadow elf. They might possess a natural connection but they know nothing of what it entails. A Moonshadow elf might tap into the power of the moon but they know nothing about it. They don't understand its phases, its power, the way it bends light and shifts minds, how it hides the truth but also reveals secrets. They have no desire to expand their knowledge or to try to make themselves greater than they are."

"Why not?"

"Because in their arrogance and pride they believe that our civilization peaked, that there is nothing else to know and that the primal sources are all we need to survive," Aaravos answered. "They stifled creativity and despised those who questioned the status quo, in their arrogance they would crush the brilliant few for the mediocre many. They would-" Aaravos paused and composed himself. "My apologies, our conversation took a different turn then I thought it would, brought back some bad memories."

"Do you hate your people?" Callum asked, he knew his master had a conflict with his people but to hear him speak with such venom about them.

"Hate..." Aaravos seemed to be considering that word. "I hate their arrogance and lack of vision. I've been sealed away for over a thousand years, and yet I guarantee if I went back to Xadia it would be exactly the same as it was when I still walked the earth as a being of flesh and blood."

"At least you would still be able to find your way around if you ever returned..." Callum offered in an attempt to cheer his master up.

"Always the optimist." Aaravos chuckled. "Still...elven civilization was great but it was stagnant. The Dragons sit upon their mountains claiming that all that was worth knowing and doing had been learned or done, all while our civilization slowly decayed from within. My people who were once always pushing the boundaries of magic, philosophy, art, and craft became apathetic to all once they believed that they had achieved perfection. They believe our civilization was perfect as it was and that it no longer needed to change."

"Was it perfect?' Callum had only ever read about Xadia in old books, he had asked his master about it a few times but never got much in the way of an answer. Yet in the ancient texts, the cities of the elves were described as great beyond description.

"Perfect..." Aaravos growled. "That single word is the death of everything. There is nothing that is truly perfect, it might be an ideal one should pursue but its something we can never achieve. After all, to be 'perfect' is to be unable to improve any further. There would be no scope for creation, not a single gap in one's knowledge or ability, no room for creativity. Do you see what I speak of my apprentice? An artist like yourself should understand better than most that perfection is tantamount to despair. Artists like yourself, and in truth any person who creates or takes pleasure is any hobby aspires to reach greater levels of brilliance than ever before, but never, NEVER, to reach perfection. There is no such thing as a perfect painting, statue, book, or even magical spell and yet we keep trying to achieve it. It is a paradox through which one must find pleasure in the struggle. My people gave up on the struggle long ago...I didn't want to watch my civilization die from stagnation."

"It has been over a thousand years, maybe it's gotten better?" Callum offered in an attempt to cheer his teacher up. He didn't disagree with his teacher's points. He was always trying to improve his art skills, and he learned something new with each painting he created. If there ever came a day when there was nothing left to learn, nothing to add to his art...he would feel despair. He would probably give up on painting and art in general if he couldn't improve.

"Perhaps…" Aaravos allowed as he stopped pacing the length of the room. "Still, its no use dwelling on the past. We should stop speaking of Xadia and instead focus on getting you ready for visiting the other human kingdoms. Pack your things, my apprentice, soon the real training will begin."

* * *

Runaan sharpened his blades as he watched Rayla practice her footwork and swordsmanship on the practice course of the Moon glade. The Moonglade was a peaceful place, a wooded area with trees that had black bark and leaves the color of silver the branches forming a canopy overhead that let enough light to see without squinting. The ground was covered in old soil and moss, the air smelled of moist earth. It was a peaceful place where he had trained to be an assassin the same way Rayla was now.

The practice course was a large field with numerous tree stumps embedded into the ground, each one several feet tall. The stumps were close together which allowed a person to walk upon them cautiously since each stump was only large enough to support a single foot. The point of it was for a person to learn balance and precision. Running across the embedded stump required balance, dexterity, and skill.

Rayla was practicing her blade forms upon the stumps while blindfolded, masterfully jumping from one to another while clutching two small wooden swords that were carved to resemble Moonshadow elf blades. The girl was small but dexterous, her silver-white hair reaching her young shoulders. Her horns were only just starting to lengthen, resembling two small nubs that were becoming pointed.

The girl was only ten years old yet she moved with the grace and skill of an assassin twice her age. Each movement perfect as her body stretched and contorted at angles most would find impossible. All of it was necessary for the girl to develop the muscles and reflexes an assassin needed to be able to jump across the treetops and flip through the air better than any acrobat all while being aware of one's surroundings.

"I thought I might find you here."

Runaan turned and saw a figure appear from behind one of the trees. His first instinct was to prepare to fight but when he saw who had appeared he relaxed.

"What brings you here Diana?" Runaan asked as he set aside his blades so that he might focus on his friend's arrival. She was only an inch shorter than himself with the silver-white hair common among the Moonshadow elves, her body markings were silver and she dressed in the typical green garb of an elven assassin.

"Came here to see how you were doing." Diana turned her attention to Rayla who was still jumping from stump to stump while practicing her blade forms, oblivious to the new arrival. "Bit young to be training like this isn't she? The lass can't be older than eight."

"She's ten." Runaan corrected defensively, he already had an idea of where this conversation was going. "She is also already as skilled as I was at fifteen, the girls a natural, the best I've ever seen and under my tutelage, she will be the best."

"Humble as ever aren't we White Wolf?"

Runaan had to resist bristling at the sound of his nickname, one that had followed him ever since his first mission into the human's territories. "Just being factual, besides the girl's parents are honored members of the Dragonguard, so they trust me to see to her training."

"They approve of her training so young?" Diana asked, shocked at the revelation.

"You forget that they are members of the Dragonguard, which means they see and hear the dragons when they assemble and discuss the future of Xadia. Tidings from the capital are...disturbing..." Runaan had always heard rumors of doom floating in from the capital but as of late something had happened, a shift in the wind. "Word is that the humans are planning something, they've pulled back some of their forces, both the troops at the border and their navy at sea. Something is going on and it has the dragons worried."

"Perhaps humanity has finally decided to leave us alone."

Runaan had to resist laughing out loud. "The humans will never learn that lesson, they will always intrude upon our lands to poach magical creatures to fuel their dark magic. They grow more arrogant with every generation and they breed like jackalopes during spring."

"It's hard for lessons to be learned when they don't even live a century." Diana pointed out. "By the time one generation of humans gain the wisdom that comes with living to a decent age they end up dying and the next generation repeats the same mistakes. Everything repeats over and over again, they don't learn anything because no human lives long enough to see the pattern."

"And this is our fault?" Runaan asked with scorn. "Doe's their short lives justify them grasping everything they can? Greedily devouring all that they see?"

"No, but if we keep our minds closed to humanity changing then we are no better then them."

"The idealistic assassin," Runaan muttered, remembering why the woman next to him irked him so. Diana had trained alongside him when they were young, he had fought and bled alongside her on numerous battlefields, and yet she was always cheerful and idealistic. Both unusual traits for someone who dealt in death. "I have no time to bandy words with you, I must continue with my wards training. Her parents want her ready."

"Its a shame, I do enjoy a nice bandied word," Diana answered as she turned to Rayla. "And what do they want her ready for? If the humans are withdrawing..."

"It means they are planning something." Runaan finished. "I've heard dire news from our spies in the land of Katolis, some are reporting the humans are developing a weapon of some sort, although details are scarce.

"What kind of weapon?"

"I was never told, an assassin doesn't need to know such things. I only need to know who my target it when the time is right." Runaan sighed as he put his blades back in their sheathes and turned to Rayla who was now doing backflips upon the log posts. "War is coming and when it does I want Rayla to survive it. She is not the only one starting her training young, within a week's time over two dozen more children around Rayla's age will be arriving."

"They are so sure of war that they would have us train so many at such a young age?" Diana asked skeptically. "There haven't been any major battles in ages, just a few skirmishes, hardly a prelude to war."

"The seers have foreseen war."

"By seers you mean Startouch elves." Diana's tone let Runaan know how much she thought of the seer's visions.

"Startouch elves do not lie." Runaan knew little of the Startouch elves but he did know that they were unable to lie. It was said it was the price of their power, the ability to see the future and see the truth in all things meant that they were unable to speak anything but the truth themselves.

"They do not lie but they can be mistaken, not to mention they speak in riddles and half-truths. Just because they do not lie that does not mean they are always being entirely truthful." Diana pointed out. "The future is ever in motion with limitless possibilities much like the stars that the Startouch claim guides them."

"I will not claim to have faith in the visions of Startouch elves. They rarely even bother to interact with others at all." Runaan had little interest in prophecy or the visions of seers. "At the end of the day, I am a soldier. What the elders decree I will obey and they have decreed that we are to train a new generation of assassins for a war that they feel is coming."

Before Diana could respond to him the sound of footsteps fast approaching filled the forest. Rayla ran up to them having finished her training. The girl was sweating and seemed to be trying to catch her breath but still, she had a beaming smile.

"I did all my forms perfectly, did you see uncle Runaan?" Rayla asked as she approached the two.

"I did, you have made wonderful progress." Runaan felt he should be generous with his praise, it was one of the few things he could give to the girl. "Next we will have to get you fitted for some training weights for your wrists and ankles. Strength is as important as speed and dexterity when it comes to being an assassin." He turned to Diana. "Rayla, I'm sure you remember Diana, you met her a few years ago."

"Hello, little one." Diana crouched down so she was at eye level with the ten-year-old girl. "Although maybe not so little after all, you've grown."

"Have I?" Rayla asked as she inspected herself, and straightening her posture to emphasize her height.

"Yes you have, you've grown taller, stronger, and more beautiful," Diana stated as she brushed some of Rayla's hair out of the girl's face. "Your horns are almost as big as mine."

"Really?" Rayla used her hands and began touching her horns to see if it was true but Runaan put a stop to that.

"It's undignified to touch your horns in front of others Rayla." Runaan scolded which made the girl pout. "Grab your training equipment and head home, since you did such a good job today Ill make some Moonberry surprise for dessert tonight."

The girls pout turned into a large smile as she scrambled to gather up her training swords and other equipment. "You're the best uncle Runaan, bye Diana!" Rayla called out as she grabbed her equipment and ran in the direction of home.

"Are you so eager to see that girl trained as an assassin like us? A being whose only purpose is to take the lives of others?" Diana asked as she watched Rayla's form fade into the forest.

Runaan scoffed at his friend's remark. He grabbed his own belongings and got ready to head home. "Even if I did refuse to train her she would merely train herself. Rayla is proud of her parent's service in the Dragonguard and wishes to join its ranks herself someday. At least with me training her, she will be ready when the time comes."

"What about her innocence? Do you want to see it snuffed out at such a young age?"

"Innocence is best lost early." Runaan began heading home, not even bothering to look upon his old ally. "After all, in wars, it's always the innocent who end up suffering the most."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Authors note  
> Thank you for all the wonderful reviews/comments, they keep my spirits up and let me know how you all feel about the story.  
> More time skips, I won't be covering every aspect of Callum's training but I will be hitting the highpoints and important bits. Right now Callum is nine years old, there's roughly a year passing between chapters.  
> Only a little bit of Rayla, she's not going to be a prominent member of the story for a while sadly. Not without shoehorning her in any way.  
> As mentioned before please feel free to ask questions in the review/comments. I will be happy to answer. Also, I can't answer if you review anonymously, though I should point that out since people without profiles tend to ask things and I can really respond to them.


	5. Onward to Evenere

"Would you hold still? It's hard enough trying to do this with this damn ship's movements but your fidgeting isn't helping." Callum complained as he meticulously swiped his paintbrush across the canvas. With each motion the work of art slowly took form, blue upon black upon white which twinkled like stars upon the canvas as a portrait of his mentor in magic, Aaravos, slowly came into being.

It had been a little over two weeks since he had departed Katolis, he had bid a tearful goodbye to his brother and stepfather and been loaded upon the royal flagship, a massive galleon which went by the name Sweet Sarai, in honor of his departed mother. The galley was massive and as befit his rank he had been given the royal quarters, a large room which would usually be given to the King. Callum had expected sea travel to be adventurous and wonderful but found it was quite the opposite. The ship was rather cramped for all its comforts, the ships rocking when the wind was light made him nauseous, and when there wasn't really anything to do aside from lock himself in his cabin and paint.

Which brought him to his current predicament as he was painting a portrait of his master. With a lack of things to do, he found himself painting once more and he decided to paint his teacher in an attempt to challenge both his artistic skills and his patience. "At this rate I'm going to run out of blue before I'm even halfway done," Callum said as he mixed himself more blue paint, his teacher's skin was a variety of colors, numerous tones of blue which bordered on purple, along with the numerous glowing dots on his flesh that looked like the stars of the night sky.

He was quickly learning that painting a Startouch elf was a huge pain in the ass.

"What's wrong my dear apprentice?" Aaravos asked as he posed on the far side of the royal cabin. "Having trouble capturing my magnificent form upon a canvas?"

"More like I'm having trouble fitting your fat head on a canvas this small," Callum responded as he finished mixing the right tone of blue. "I can paint almost anything from memory alone but you...do you have to be so damn sparkly? And stop moving!"

Aaravos had the nerve to chuckle as he steadied himself. "I can't help that the stars themselves blessed me with such a form, and I can't help but move. Staying in one position gets tiring."

"How the heck does a ghost get tired?" Callum asked as he began to work on the painting once more. "You don't have a body, which means there's no way you can feel tired."

"It's mentally tiring not physically tiring," Aaravos responded as if that answered everything. "What's gotten you in such a bad mood? I've never seen you this frustrated with a painting before."

"This whole trip is spoiling my mood. I don't like traveling on a ship, I don't like being away from my brother, and the fact that our first stop is Evenere isn't making me hopeful." Callum had hoped that they would take the land route and go through the Kingdom of Duren first since it was the kingdom that Katolis shared a border with. Instead, Harrow decided that they would sail from Katolis to Evenere, then after staying in Evenere they would sail to Del Bar and travel the land route through the Kingdoms, saving Duren for last. It was a shame since Duren was the breadbasket of the five kingdoms with perpetually pleasant weather, plentiful food, and lovely countryside. Since it was currently summer the kingdom would be full of fresh fruits like lemons, fireplums, blood oranges, apples, and various other delicious treats. "I had really hoped we would go to Duren since its the leader of the arts and sciences in all the five kingdoms. I always wanted to visit the art museum in its capital, I heard its bigger than all of Katolis castle and is filled with the greatest artistic masterpieces in the world, some of which predate the division of the continent."

"That would be interesting and probably my first choice," Aaravos replied thoughtfully. "Still...surly this Evenere isn't so bad?'

"I've never been there but the things I've heard..." Callum shuddered at the rumors he had heard about Evenere. "Its a large chunk of land, too big to be an island but too small to be a continent located off the coast of Del bar. It's said to be mostly swamplands and marshes which don't exactly paint a very nice picture. Although..."

"Although what?"

"I've heard that the people that live on Evenere are small, thin savages that live on floating islands and eat frogs to survive. But a few years ago Queen Fareeda visited Katolis on a diplomatic mission. I heard the servants said she was a swamp witch that ate mud and cast spells on men to turn them into frogs. Yet when she arrived...well you were there so you must remember what she really looked like." Callum turned his head to the far corner of the room where a newly finished painting sat leaning against the wall. It was a portrait of Queen Fareeda that he had painted based on the memory of her visit to the Katolis two yeas ago. It depicted Fareeda standing in the gardens of Katolis castle. Her skin was fair, her hair fiery red, and her eyes emerald green and he had drawn her in a magenta taupe gown to emphasize her features.

"Ah yes, the one that has been kissed by fire," Aaravos muttered as he followed his apprentice's gaze to the portrait in the corner.

"Kissed by fire?"

"Its a term Sunfire elves use to describe those with red hair, it's said those with red hair are kissed by the sun which leaves their hair the color of flame. Some Sunfire elves believe red hair is lucky and that its a mark for future greatness."

"Well, we humans call it being ginger and it makes you get sunburnt extremely easily," Callum answered as he turned back to his art. "My point is that Fareeda is nothing like the servants described, I was expecting a nasty old crone but instead a beautiful queen straight out of a storybook showed up. So maybe the stories about Eveneres dreariness are equally false."

That seemed to amuse Aaravos who chuckled. "Ah, so my apprentice favors ginger girls huh? Have you given up on your raven-haired friend? Do you desire a girl whos hair shines like the sun rather than one whose hair is as black as night?"

"Shut up..." He found that his teacher enjoyed teasing him and that putting up a defense only made it worse. Aaravos always found a way to make clever retorts and barbs so Callum found it best to not give his teacher any ammunition.

Aaravos shrugged, clearly upset that his apprentice didn't rise to the bait. 'Well if only you could paint me based on memory alone like you did the sun-kissed Queen. I find it hard to believe that you can paint her perfectly from memory whereas you need me to pose for a portrait when we see each other every day. I think you're making me pose just to annoy me."

"It's starting to annoy me almost as much as its annoying you." Callum retorted. "Also Queen Fareeda doesn't sparkle nearly as much as you do."

"You're right, I'm far more beautiful than her. Her hair might shine like the sun but my very flesh embodies the stars themselves, no other thing can compare to my beauty except perhaps the night sky."

Callum rolled his eyes upon hearing his teachers words. "Right, it makes me wish a female Startouch elf had been sealed in that key instead of you. At least then I would have something pretty to paint instead of your mug."

Aaravos let out a chuckle. "Give up on that dream my apprentice, female Startouch elves, as beautiful as they might appear are in fact very cold."

"Cold?"

"Cold." Aaravos nodded. "Their attitude, disposition, and even the way they kiss are cold and dutiful. They view the act of making love as nothing more than a means for procreation. They have no passion in their hearts which leaves them unpleasant for companionship."

"Ew, also I'm only nine. I dont need to hear that stuff."

"Dont be childish." Aaravos scolded with a good-natured tone. "Your stepfather already gave you the talk after he saw you painting your raven-haired friend. I think he feared you might bring the painting to life and try something….unseemly with it."

"I would never!" Callum felt the heat rising to the cheeks at that accusation. It had taken a few months to prepare to leave Katolis on this journey and in that time his stepfather had been watching him like a hawk. He took great interest in the paintings he made, and when he saw him painting a picture of Claudia the king had freaked out and pulled Callum aside to give him a very long and very awkward talk about the birds and the bees. "It was merely a gift for a friend, a gift she happened to love by the way." Claudia had loved the painting greatly and put it in her room. She had even kissed his cheek as a thank you, a memory that always brought a smile to his face.

"My point is Startouch elf women are cold and passionless. Sunfire elves are the passionate ones, so full of fire and love for life. Skywings are nice as well but their interests are as fleeting as the wind, which is nice if you're looking for a quick affair. Earthbloods believe in boring old monogamy and are so damn stubborn. Never try to leave the next morning if you ever bed an Earthblood girl, she will literally try to kill you. Then there are Moonshadows who are like beasts with untamed desires that-"

"I dont need to hear about your gross love affairs." Callum interrupted, getting ready to cover his ears if his teacher decided to continue. "I might never be able to look at you the same again after hearing that horror."

"Very well," Aaravos replied, clearly disappointed. "Just know that if you need any advice I'll be happy to give it to you. I have over a thousand years of experience with such things."

"Well, I doubt I'll be meeting any female elves so your advice is rather pointless."

"I've had relationships with humans as well." Aaravos pointed out. "I was over a thousand years old before I sealed my soul away. A thousand years leaves a long time to enjoy all the world has to offer, including the lovely women and even some men who were rather charming and-"

"Please stop talking."

"Fine, I'll change the subject, even a thousand years later and humans can still be so prudish." Aaravos motioned to the painting of Queen Fareeda. "So what made you decide to paint the fair Queen of Evenere?"

Thankful for the change of subject Callum decided to explain. "My father has gifts to give her but I wanted something more personal." It was customary when visiting another monarch to present gifts as a sign of friendship. Harrow had sent them with numerous chestfuls of gifts for each monarch, and yet being stuck on a ship with so much free time Callum decided that he would make a more personal gift to them and paint their portraits. Ever since his painting skills had become known it seemed half the court wanted their portrait painted by him, he found it odd but his stepdad explained that nobility saw painted portraits of themselves as status symbols, even more so if they were created by a renowned painter. In his case having a portrait painted by a prince was even more of a status symbol.

"Ahh buttering up the nobility eh? Perhaps you wish to marry one of the Queen's daughters?"

"I might be called a prince as a courtesy but I'm still a commoner." Callum pointed out as he refocused on his current painting. "It doesn't matter how much I butter up the nobility, they will always look down on me. They would never allow me to sully their noble bloodlines with my commoner's blood."

"If you say so."

"I know so," Callum said as he focused on his work, it took another hour before the painting was done and he was able to set down his paintbrush. He gazed at his work and allowed himself to smile in satisfaction. It was a painting of Aaravos dressed in his resplendent black robes that were decorated with glowing stars so that it appeared he was wearing a shroud cut from the night sky itself. He clutched a leather-bound book in his hands and the room he stood in was beautifully decored with furniture made out of silver and crystal. Callum turned to his teacher who had left his modeling spot and come up behind him to observe his student's work. "What do you think?"

"Wonderful," Aaravos said the man gazed at the painting. "You are truly a prodigy, I've known Elven artists who spend hundreds of years to reach your level of skill in art."

"I dont see what the big deal is." Callum shrugged, creating art was as natural to him as breathing. He had an image in his head and made that image a reality, allowing his hands and creativity to morph the art as he went along with it."I just love making art, it sort of comes naturally."

"This is more than art," Aaravos said, his tone turning somewhat serious. "You create images, but they are so much more. You capture the spirit, you insinuate your will into your subject, whatever it is. It is a rare gift, that is why you can so easily bring your art to life. Even a skilled painter with knowledge of blood magic wouldn't be able to match your natural talent. The will you pour into your work without even trying...I'm confident this will allow me to walk the physical world once more"

"I hope you're right about this." Callum had another reason for painting this portrait, his teacher was able to possess the bodies of small animals and insects. Aaravos claimed that any creature that was highly sentient could fight him off, so much so that his teacher dared not try and possess a human or elf. Yet as they sailed to Evenere Aaravos felt the inspiration to attempt to possess one of Callum's living paintings since they had bodies that could interact with the physical world yet lacked a soul. So Callum immediately got to work on painting a work that his master could take possession of, and now it was done.

"Rats thgindim eht sovaraa nrob eb doolb sretniap eht yb!" Callum recited as he gazed upon his newly finished work of art. The painting like so many others came to life and the depiction of his teacher entered reality and stood before him, a near-perfect clone of his teacher. Callum looked at his teacher who was gazing at his doppelganger. "Well, what are you waiting for? Hop on in."

Aaravos nodded and somewhat cautiously his incorporeal body stepped into the painted doppelganger. Several seconds passed and the painted copy of his teacher didn't move which made Callum uneasy.

"You alright in their master?" Callum got up on his tiptoes and waved his hand in front of the painted beings face to try and get a reaction from him. Suddenly the painted elves eyes opened which made Callum leap back with a yelp.

Callum watched as Aaravos slowly began to move his limbs, bringing his hands in front of his face and flexing his fingers. He watched as his teacher took in a deep breath and just as quickly exhaled, a smile appearing on the elf's face.

"I feel the sky entering my lungs once more, I feel solid ground beneath my feet." Aaravos pinched himself and smiled. "I have feeling in my limbs, I walk this world once more as a being of...not flesh and blood but paint and the painter's blood."

"How do you feel?" Callum knew his creations for all their realism were still just paint. While their bodies took on the physical qualities of whatever he had painted they were still just painted.

"I feel alive." Aaravos smiled as he turned to his apprentice and adopted a more thoughtful look. "It's not quite the same as my original body, I can tell that there is something off about this body. Its as if my soul can tell its not truly my own but it will serve for the time being."

"Can you do magic?" Callum knew his teacher was an archmage and wanted to see him in action.

Aaravos reached his right hand forward and attempted to draw a symbol in the air and yet nothing appeared. He let out a frustrated sigh. "I can feel the power just out of my reach, I think I have to master this new body of mine. Magic is equal parts physical and mental, mind and body must act as one."

"Shame, I was hoping to see what the self-proclaimed 'Greatest archmage of Xadia' was capable of."

"You will see in time, someday I will get a proper body. But for now, there is something that requires my more immediate attention." Aaravos turned towards Callum and was upon him in an instant. Callum didn't even have time to jump back before his teacher was upon him, the elf's hands were messing with his hair, fluffing it, straightening it and pulling at it.

"I've had to look at this unruly mop of brown hair for the last three years," Aaravos grumbled, ignoring Callum's protests and small hands that tried in vain to get the elf to stop. "I think we should try straightening it, or perhaps letting it grow out and styling it by-"

"Would you let go!?" Callum shoved his teacher away and began putting his hair back in its usual position. "I can't believe your biggest concern after getting a physical body is my hair."

"You would be as concerned as I am if you had to look at it all day like I do." Aaravos pointed out. "Its a shame it's brown, such a common color. You would look much better as a blond, shining blond hair would help bring out the green in your eyes, even red hair would be better than brown. Have you considered coloring it?"

"No, I'm not dying my hair you lunatic." Callum liked his hair the way it was, his mother had brown hair and he was proud to inherit it from her. "Why do you care about my appearance anyway? You're my teacher in magic, not my personal stylist."

Aaravos shook his head and let out a wistful sigh. "My sweet innocent apprentice looks count a great deal in this world and as my protege, your looks matter almost as much as your actions. When I return in full power to this mortal world it would reflect poorly upon me to have a scruffy looking apprentice by my side. We must also see about getting you some new clothes as well, you wear that exact same outfit every day. Its no wonder the nobility calls you the pauper prince."

"I can't believe the first thing you're doing after getting a physical body is giving me hair styling tips and criticizing my clothes." Callum shook his head. "Now that you can interact with the physical world you can finally take a more active role in training me in magic, I'm getting tired of only hearing lectures and-"

The sound of knocking silenced both Callum and Aaravos who looked at the door of the cabin of the ship. Aaravos quickly retreated to the back of the room and hid in the privy. While Callum walked over to the door and cracked it open to see who was knocking.

The figure waiting outside was one of the guards assigned to protect Callum and the other passengers, specifically it was a young man named Corvus. Despite his young age, with him being only fifteen years old he was given the duty of being Callum's sworn shield during this journey. The man sported native Katolian features with dark skin, brown eyes and dark brown hair which was braided and tied into a bun.

Callum wasn't sure why someone so young was given the duty of protecting him, he only heard that the man had been selected by his Aunt Amaya for this mission.

"Forgive me for disturbing you, my prince." Corvus bowed respectfully. "But Councilor Opeli wanted me to remind you to be prepared for tonight's dinner, she wishes to go over proper courtesy and protocol with you and your compatriots before we land in Evenere."

Callum had to resist groaning out loud since it was unbecoming of a prince. "Thank you Corvus, is there anything else?" He asked, hoping there was nothing else.

"Just that Opeli wants you dressed for the occasion, her exact words were 'It might be okay for Callum to dress as a commoner while we are in Katolis, but while visiting another nation he must both look and play the part of a true prince.' Those were her exact words."

"Very well..." Callum grumbled, dreading the night even more. He could get away with a lot of things thanks to his status as royalty, but Opeli was another story. She was not a woman to disappoint or anger. "Thank you, Corvus, go and tell Opeli that Ill be dressed for the occasion."

"As you command," Corvus responded before dismissing himself which left Callum alone in his cabin once more. As he shut the door he turned and saw his master standing behind him with a smile etched onto the Startouch elf's face.

"Ah, so you need to be dressed and groomed properly for a rehearsal dinner?" Aaravos asked as he walked over to a nearby closet and began sifting through it. "Now is the perfect occasion to get you looking the part of a prince and by extension looking more like an apprentice to a great archmage."

An hour later Callum found himself properly dressed and groomed. He didn't have time for a bath so he cleaned his face in a water basin in his room. He was dressed in a crimson doublet with cloth of gold embroidery on the sleeves. Underneath he wore a simple black silk shirt and black pants, all of it the color of Katolis's official colors, the perfect color combination for a practice dinner for nobility.

"If only you dressed like this all the time," Aaravos grumbled as he straightened his apprentice's crimson doublet until Callum smacked his hands away. "The colors of Katolis match you well. The red and gold emphasize your eyes and even make your hair more tolerable. In fact, I think we should remove blue from your wardrobe entierly."

"I'll take that under advisement," Callum replied as he walked towards the door before stopping at a nearby bookshelf. "Now that you have a physical body, albeit one made out of paint there is one thing you can finally do." He grabbed a random book from the bookshelf and tossed it at his teacher who deftly caught it. "You can now read all the books you want without having to make me turn the pages every thirty seconds."

Callum made a hasty departure after that, mainly to avoid having to hear one of his teacher's clever retorts. The elf always had something clever to say and Callum knew he would never win a battle of wits with him. He walked through the tight corridors of the ship. The Sweet Sarai was made within the last year and no expense had been spared. It was a massive ship that was over two hundred feet long, the ship held a full crew of over two hundred although it could hold twice as many people if necessary. The deck Callum's cabin was on was referred to as the royal deck, an entire deck of the ship reserved for royalty and those serving royalty so he never saw any sailors unless he left the comforts of the royal deck.

As he trudged through the dimly lit corridors he eventually found himself in the main dining room for this part of the ship. As it was a dining room meant for royalty it certainly looked the part. Fine red carpets covered the floor, tapestry's of red and gold-bearing the sigil of Katolis covered the walls and in the middle of the room sat a beautifully carved oaken table sat with numerous beautifully carved golden oak chairs surrounding it. The chairs were occupied by his compatriots, Soren, Claudia and Councilor Opeli all sat at varying positions around the table.

"Running a bit late your grace?" Opeli asked with a raised eyebrow, the woman had abandoned her usual ceremonial outfit for a white dress appropriate for noble dinner parties.

"Fashionably late," Callum replied as he took a seat next to Soren and Claudia who were both dressed for the occasion. Soren wore a similar outfit to Callums only his doublet was grey, while Claudia wore a simple black dress.

"Well, at least we can get started." Opeli began as she paced around the table and began her lecture. "In Evenere, you will be expected to act the part of the nobility, the casual way you all interact with each other in Katolis will not be allowed while we are visiting Evenere. You all represent our Kingdom, and as such you will behave in accordance with your social positions."

"What social positions?" Soren asked with a shrug. "Callum here is the step-prince of Katolis and Clauds and I are the children of a minor noble who practices magic."

"This is what I'm talking about." Opeli let out a frustrated sigh. "You can speak casually in Katolis and in private but when in Evenere you cannot act so casually with Prince Callum. When we are in Evenere you will refer to him as Prince Callum or your grace. The fact he is not a blood relative of Harrow is inconsequential, he is considered royalty and must be treated as such."

"You're right of course." Soren stepped out of his chair and dramatically fell to one knee in front of Callum. "Your Imperial Majesty, will you forgive a peasant like me for acting so casually with you? Forgive my insolence and rudeness, I am nothing compared to your royal person, I am unfit to even lick your boots." Soren exclaimed with mock dramatic poise.

Callum couldn't help but laugh and even Claudia giggled at her brother's antics. Councilor Opeli, on the other hand, wasn't amused and gave Soren a quick slap on the back of his head.

"Ow!" Soren grumbled as he rubbed the spot Opeli had hit. "It was just a joke! My own father never even hit me before...it hurts."

"Clearly he should have hit you, you might have grown into a polite young man if he had.." Opeli gestured for Soren to resume his seat which he promptly did, as he continued to nurse his head. "You might enjoy making mock of this but this is a diplomatic visit and as such a breach in protocol could cause tension between our kingdoms. It's only recently the five kingdoms have reached a state of peaceful coexistence and I won't have that peace shattered on my watch."

"With all due respect is this really necessary?" Claudia asked politely. "From what I've read the people of Evenere are much more lax with protocol and noble courtesies."

"So this is all pointless then?" Soren leaned back in his chair. "Why are we going through all this trouble to impress a bunch of swamp-dwelling frog eaters?"

Opeli smacked Soren once again which caused the boy to let out another yelp.

"What was that for?!" Soren glared at opeli as he nursed his head. "You hit me in the same spot..."

"You will not refer to them as frog eaters. That is a slur demeaning to the people of Evenere and is unworthy of you to say. Calling someone in Evenere that whether they be nobility or a commoner could result in a physical altercation. If I hear of you calling someone that slur then you had better hope they get to you before I do."

"They do eat frogs dont they?" Callum asked cautiously, not wanting to be on the receiving end of one of Opelis slaps.

"Yes, they do eat frogs." Opeli allowed. "Evenere is mostly swamplands so the diet of most people consists of freshwater fish and reptiles as well as numerous types of seafood from the surrounding ocean. We will be staying in Evenere for at least a few months so as such you will be eating the same fare as the people there. In preparation for this, I've had the chefs prepare a traditional Evenerian dinner for us." Opeli summoned the kitchen servants who laid out numerous trays of food upon the table, all of it was as foreign as the kingdom they were due to visit.

Callum found the food before him to be as exotic as anything he had ever seen. Food in Katolis revolved around hearty soups, stews, and baked goods with a heavy emphasis on bread. Even meat was usually served in the form of a pie, or in a stew. Yet as he listened to Opeli explain what was in front of him he felt his stomach sink.

"This is swamp caviar, crocodile fillets, seaweed soup, baked eels, brined hagfish, prawn gumbo, and of course some deep-fried frogs legs, so we call all eat a bit of frog." Opeli looked pointedly at Soren. "Also as appetizers, we have clams, oysters, mussels, and cockles. They are served raw with a hot sauce that can be poured on them before consumption."

"I'm used to eating clams in chowder form," Callum muttered as he looked at the raw food, trying to suppress the urge to gag. "Do I even want to know what dessert is?"

"Jellied eels."

"Gross...do they at least have bread?" Soren asked as he poked at a plate of jellied eels.

"Bread is rare since there is very little agricultural land on Evenere," Opeli explained. "Instead the people of Evenere grow large amounts of rice to serve as a substitute for bread which is why next to each of your plates is a bowl of rice. As for vegetables, there is a salad made from water spinach and watercress mixed with cranberries."

"This looks like a dark magic ritual gone wrong," Claudia muttered as she poked at some of the salad which looked like a bunch of seaweed mixed with cranberries. With each poke, the salad jiggled as if it were a form of gelatin. "Do we really have to eat this stuff? I think it would be more useful as reagents for spells then actual food."

"Yes, you have to eat it." Opeli smiled with barely restrained glee. "Also you aren't allowed to leave this table until you've taken a bite of every dish and swallowed said bite. We should reach Evenere in three days until then you will be dining on traditional Evernerian cuisine for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I personally look forward to breakfast tomorrow when you all get to eat a crocodile egg omelet with soft boiled seagull eggs and a bite of swamp dragon bacon on the side."

The next hour was occupied by eating the strange meal in front of them while Opeli walked them through proper table etiquette and taught them about Evenere courtesies as well as teaching them how they were to behave at court. As Claudia had had earlier Evenere was a more casual nation and as Opeli explained its history it made sense why.

"When humanity was banished from the eastern half of Xadia the people of Evenere rather then allow themselves to be dragged across the continent by the elves instead chose to take to their ships and sailed to a new home off the coast the main content. They found the island chain we call Evenere and made themselves at home among the swamps and bogs, building a city in the great lagoon of the western coast, a city build upon a hundred islands. It was a harsh land so only the strongest could lead, the people of Evenere dont put as much emphasis on bloodlines as the other kingdoms and instead they vote upon which family will lead them." Opeli explained grandly.

"So they vote for a new king and queen every time one dies?" Claudia asked. "That must be chaotic."

"They dont vote every time a King and Queen dies, the vote upon which family will be in charge of the Kingdom." Opli corrected. "There is an annual meeting called the Great Council where all the noble families, as well as landowners, gather together to make legislative decisions, even the King and Queen can be overridden by the voting blocks of the other nobles and landowners."

As they ate Opeli explained Evenere's history and politics which wasn't entirely boring to Callums ears even if he had heard most of it in his history classes. With the exception of Neolandia, all the other kingdoms had long since abandoned feudalism and people no longer worked as serfs in service to a lord. People were considered free and were able to ply whatever trade they wished and were expected to be paid with money or goods. Evenere was the exception, in that they had never had a feudalistic society. It was a nation of free people from its very start and as a result, the cities are considered virtually anarchic by the standards of the other four kingdoms. The Evenerian desire for freedom has engendered a cultural mistrust of law enforcement, and relaxed attitudes in general when it came to authority. While the worst offenses against the law are quickly put down by the authorities, many others are ignored and citizens are often left to make their own justice. A result of this was that duels were often used to settle disputes with men and women alike carrying dueling blades as they walked the streets of cities and towns.

Soren laughed out loud upon hearing about how the people of Evenere dueled one another in the streets with sabers. "So they prance around with no armor and use swords the size of toothpicks to poke at each other?" Soren asked as relaxed in his chair. "With my plate armor and sword, I could take on any of those guys or gals."

"The water-dancers of Evenere are the most graceful swordfighters in all the kingdoms." Opeli pointed out. "Their blades are so precise they can pick through the holes in armor easily, even getting through the gaps in chainmail. They wear no armor because it slows them down, I've seen them dance around an armored knight and put their blade straight through the holes in a great helm. Also, plate armor is not commonly worn in Evenere since its mostly swamps, marshes and large bodies of water. A single slip means you will drown in plate mail."

"Then I won't slip." Soren turned to Callum. "Clumsy Callum should stay out of armor though if past history is anything to go by."

"I'm not that bad," Callum grumbled sourly, Soren always did enjoy making a fool out of him in the training yard. Even after all these years he still couldn't fight worth a damn when it came to swords. "Also that's Prince Clumsy Callum to you, ya peasant."

"Forgive me my Misstep-Prince, I forget my-OW!" Soren received another smack on the back of his head from Opeli. "Same damn spot, do you have it out for me or something? Why dont you hit Callum or Claudia?"

"I dont hit your sister because she knows how to act like a proper lady," Opeli said as she turned to Callum. "As for you my prince, you must take this seriously as well. It might be fine for Soren to jape and make mock of you in Katolis but having someone like him, who is your direct subordinate speaking ill of you, even in a friendly or joking way will undermine the way foreign nobility will look at you."

"Fine..."

"With that out of the way we can continue our lessons." Opeli continued on with explaining the history of Evenere and it all blended together into an uninteresting lecture that Callum tried his best to pay attention to. His main focus went to the meal in front of him which wasn't as bad as he expected. Most of the raw appetizers had a gross texture but didn't taste all that bad if you dipped them in enough hot sauce, although the hot sauce was a bit spicy for his taste. The various fish dishes were somewhat decent, although he had to force himself to eat a mouthful of the jellied eels. The best food at the table was the prawn gumbo and ironically the deep-fried frog legs which were so good he cleaned his plate.

Once she finished her lecture and made sure everyone at the table tried every dish she retired for the evening, allowing her wards to relax.

"Thank heavens that hag is gone," Soren muttered once he was sure Opeli had left the room, he rubbed the back of his head tenderly, nursing the spot where Opeli had smacked him multiple times. "Father said she was a shrew which is why she never married, it seems like he was right."

Claudia shook her head. "You and father just dont like a strong woman, dad doesn't like her because she openly questions him during council meetings and you dont like her because she calls you on your bullshit."

"Language Claudia." Callum said, doing his best to impersonate the tone of a snobbish noble."We are having a lovely and noble dinner and as your prince, I will not have it ruined because of your impropriety. Such language is beneath a gentle and well-bred lady such as yourself."

Claudia had to suppress a laugh which resulted in a very un-ladylike snort which made Soren laugh. "Oh, my prince..." Claudia began in an exaggerated feminine tone meant to impersonate a noble lady. "Please forgive my impropriety, I often forget myself when I drink too much wine."

"I wish we had wine," Soren grumbled as he took a sip from a silver goblet, the drinks provided were water and a fruit juice that tasted of pomegranates. "Instead all we get is fruit juice, I've heard that common-born kids get to drink alcohol from a young age."

"I drank a lot of beer and ale when I was younger," Callum said, remembering all the times his mother and Aunt Amaya would take him out to eat at inns and taverns. It was often hard to get a hold of clean water in some of those places so it was safer for him to drink a bit of beer or ale to wash his food down with.

"Ah yes, that would make sense, I sometimes forget you weren't born into nobility." Soren nodded thoughtfully. "So what was it like? I've tried to sneak out of the castle and go to a local inn but Clauds here always snitches on me."

Claudia rolled her eyes. "Of course I snitch on you, a man like you has no business at a tavern. With your luck, you would end up getting stabbed in a barfight or ending up getting some tavern girl pregnant with a bastard."

"I'm almost fourteen Claud's I can take care of myself." Soren turned back to Callum. "So whats beer like? I've managed to sneak a few sips of wine at dinner parties that my dad attends but that stuff just tastes like spoiled grape juice."

"That's because of the fact that its literally spoiled grape juice, it's grape juice that's been fermented in aged casks." Claudia pointed out. "Do you have any idea how alcohol is made?"

"Do I like an alcohol alchemist of something? Of course, I dont know how its made."

"The term is brewer or vintner, not alcohol alchemist," Claudia responded as she rolled her eyes at her brother's apparent lack of common knowledge.

"Quit interrupting, I want to know from Callum what beer is like." Soren gestured to Callum to continue." Alright step-prince, spill it, whats beer like?"

"It was ages ago." Callum tried to remember the time before he was a prince, a time when his mother was still alive. "Keep in mind most beers served in taverns and inns have very little alcohol in it. I think it was less then five percent, its basically just liquid bread. Fills you up and helps you sleep better at night, was one of the only ways my mother could get me to sleep."

"Sounds kind of gross." Soren didn't bother hiding his disappointment. "Liquid bread huh? If I want that I would just eat porridge for breakfast."

"Your mother took you to taverns often?" Claudia asked curiously. "I know she was a soldier but I figured she would cook for you since most people couldn't afford to eat out or hire a cook on a soldier's wages."

"Rats wouldn't have eaten my mother's cooking." Callum took a sip of juice as he remembered the few times his mother cooked for him. "Her idea of cooking was to throw a bunch of stuff into a pot and boil it down until it formed a type of gruel. Thank goodness she was a better soldier and Queen then she was cook, I still have nightmares about her lamb and pea stew." Callum shuddered at the memory as he turned to the food that still covered the table in front of them. "Speaking of unappetizing food, what do you guys think of this Evenere fare? It's actually not as bad as I thought it would be."

"It is actually quite good." Claudia agreed as she grabbed another helping of prawn gumbo. "Some of its kind of gross but the stuff that's actually cooked is decent."

Soren grunted. "I have to admit...the frog legs were good. Maybe the people of Evenere are on to something when it comes to eating frogs."

Callum nodded, the frog's legs had been the best thing on the menu today. "I was kind of skeptical about Evenere being our first stop but maybe it'll be fun."

"They do have some good libraries in Evenere." Claudia pointed out with obvious excitement. "I've also heard the swamps and marshes hold numerous strange magical creatures. I'm going to go hunt them and bring back a whole bunch of reagents for father. I already have several preservation crates in my room for all the magical creature parts Ill be bringing home."

"Talking about boxing up body parts makes you sound like a serial killer."

Claudia snorted. "It's no different then using animals for cooking, the only difference is you're making magic instead of food. We just ate a dinner of frogs legs which is no worse then if I used the frog's legs in a spell. The frog dies either way."

"Callum doesn't use animal parts in his spells." Soren pointed out as he nodded towards Callum. "He just uses his own blood and hair, it's equally creepy but at least he's only hurting himself."

"Well I can't draw or paint worth a damn so I can't exactly do the type of magic that Callum does," Claudia said, disappointment evident in her voice. "The fact that you can bring any of your paintings to life and for the painting to take on the qualities of whatever it is you painted is really useful."

Callum rubbed the back of his head nervously, he still wasn't used to being praised so much. "I can't bring anything to life, something that's too big requires a large amount of energy. So I won't be summoning painted Dragons anytime soon."

"It's still exciting." Claudia sighed. "You're basically trailblazing a whole new frontier of magic, it makes me wonder what else one could accomplish using only their own blood."

"Thanks..." Callum felt guilty, so many people believed he was some kind of prodigy and master inventor but in truth, he was merely being taught by an ancient elf far more knowledgable then anyone else. He hated lying to everyone but he saw no way to explain his current situation.

The conversation turned towards the more mundane with Callum, Claudia, and Soren making predictions about how their stay in Evenere would be and what they would do. Half an hour passed and it came time for them to return to their cabins.

"Its been fun but its time for me to leave." Soren got up off his chair and stretched. "I've got to go work out, burn some of the calories from this dinner. Need to be in peak physical condition when I show these Evenerian duelists how a real man fights."

"I should probably go as well, need to organize all my books and crates for when we land." Claudia got up to leave for the evening. "If the winds are favorable we can be in Evenere within two days."

Callum said goodbye to his friends and decided it was time for him to head back to his cabin. He saw there was still quite a bit of food left on the table so he grabbed a large cloth napkin and filled it with various bits of food from the table and folded it up into a nice little to-go cloth. "I wonder if Master Aaravos can taste things with his new body?" He wondered out loud as he picked up the food, his teacher might enjoy tasting something after being a ghost for so long, and if he couldn't eat with his new body then this would serve as a good might night snack for himself.

Callum made the trek back to his cabin quickly and opened his cabin door to find that his room looked like a tornado had swept through it. Every single book that had once been on the bookshelves left haphazardly around the room, several of them wide open. Yet the thing that was most out of place was the fact that all the various closets and clothing chests, along with the dresser were wide open and completely empty.

"Garbage, useless, hideous, ugly beyond all reason."

Callum turned to the back of the room where there was a large window that could be opened to let in fresh air from the outside. The window was wide open and in front of it was his teacher who was throwing his clothes out the open window and into the ocean.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Callum demanded as he ran over to his teacher who was continuing to throw clothing out the window.

"Organizing your wardrobe, I read every single book in this cabin so I decided to do something productive with my time," Aaravos answered, not even bothering to look up as he held a plaid blue jacket. "Is this plaid? This was out of style back when I was alive over a thousand years ago! I swear your wardrobe looks like it was bought at an Earthblood elf swap meet. It's like an elven flea market threw up in your closet." He threw the jacket out the window and into the ocean. "I swear you have a worse fashion sense then a Skywing elf."

Callum tried in vain to grab the jacket but as he looked out the window he could see it being swept away by the waves, along with numerous other items of clothing. "Are you insane?" Callum looked around and saw that very little of his wardrobe was left. He had maybe a dozen outfits left, most of them fancy clothing meant for meeting with nobility.

"My mother gave me a shirt like this on my 30th birthday." Aaravos held up a purple shirt which he looked at longingly...and promptly threw it out the window. "That old crone never did have a sense of taste."

"That was my entire wardrobe you sparkly blue bastard!"

"It was a fashion disaster is what it was." Aaravos scoffed, not even phased by his apprentice's insult. "Someday I intend to find a permanent body to inhabit and I will publicly make my appearance to this new world. When I do you will be by my side, I refuse to have you dressed in anything less then the best fashion available. When we reach Evenere we will use some of the gold we brought with us to get you an entirely new wardrobe, custom made for you. Soon you will be dressed in only the finest of clothes. Not that stupid blue jacket, purple shirt, and red scarf outfit you've worn these last three years."

Callum's response was to throw the food he had brought right in the Startouch elf's face.

* * *

Harrow stood in the main courtyard of Katolis castle where numerous tables had been set up, each one filled with various strange weapons, many of which he barely recognized. It had only been three years since Callum had revealed his invention, black powder to him and Viren and since then he had dedicated a large part of his attention to mass-producing it. Yet he still lacked the ability to deploy it safely or make weapons that were fueled by it. So he and Viren turned to the two great sources of knowledge in the known world that could help, both of which were here today unveiling these strange weapons to them.

One group was from the College of Enchanters, an institution dedicated to teaching magic, alchemy, and natural philosophy. Any person not lucky enough to find a master mage to apprentice under usually had to go to the college if they wished to learn magic or any other type of scientific field. They trained most court mages that served the kings and queens and even trained the most prominent doctors, apothecaries, and physicians that served prominent figures or at the most well-funded hospitals.

The other group was a delegation from Neolandia which had used a similar type of explosive powder almost five hundred years ago. The delegation was led by none other then the King of Neolandia himself, King Ahling.

"So here we all are." harrow began as he walked around the tables with numerous weapons that the visiting delegates had laid out. "I'm not an expert on these weapons and devices that you've brought so I'm going to cut to the chase- will our explosive blasting powder work with the ancient Neolandian weapons?"

One of the members of the college of enchanters stepped forward, a grizzled old man with grey hair and a large bushy grey beard. The man's name was Anton Tyvian from the Colleges branch in Del Bar. "From all the tests we've conducted, it appears so." He said nodding towards one of the tables where Harrow and Viren had several samples of blasting powder present. "It seems this powder is almost exactly on par with the explosive powder derived from the ancient Neolandian black scarab, and with the generous donation of ancient weapons from King Ahling." Anton nodded towards the Enolandian King. "I believe we can reliably mass-produce these weapons and perhaps even revolutionize the designs to a new modern standard."

King Ahling stepped forward and picked up one of the strange weapons, to Harrow it looked like a metal tube with a crossbow trigger mechanism attached to it. "This is an ancient Neolandian rifle, sometimes called a slugthrower or boomstick. It was used by my ancestors as a hunting weapon for the nobility. The black scarab was so rare that only nobility could afford to use this weapon. It can fire a small metal ball as accurately as a crossbow but with far greater power and accuracy. Its also extremely easy to use, so much so that I believe we can train large armies of people to use it within a short amount of time. Allow me to demonstrate."

Harrow watched as King Ahling demonstrated the loading and firing of the rifle. Ahling took aim at a target dummy at the far end of the courtyard and after Ahling had finished demonstrating how the weapon was aimed he fired a round at the target. The rifle made a loud sound, so loud it made Harrow's ears ring slightly, there was a good deal of smoke coming from the back of the rifle and the air smelled terrible.

"That recoil is a bit fierce but theirs no denying the power of the shot," Ahling said jovially as he looked at his handiwork. The target dummy had been wearing a suit of armor and the spot where the metal ball had hit was punctured through cleanly. "If you have a wall of people fire this weapon at once nothing will be able to stand up to it, with our weapons and your black powder will usher in a new age for humanity."

"Why have I never heard of a weapon like this before?" Viren asked as he picked up what appeared to be a smaller version of the rifle, it fit comfortably in one hand. "I've studied history at every single university across all five kingdoms and never seen these before."

"After the black scarab went extinct there was no reason to use them." Anton provided with a shrug. "Most were kept in museums or by rich collectors who like collecting antiques. The ones here were brought by us from the Duren Universities vaults and by King Ahling who had several collecting dust in his family's vault."

"They belong to my ancestors over five hundred years ago." King Ahling nodded. "Most were too rusty to bring but these are the ones that managed to survive the ravages of time. I had them cleaned and restored for this demonstration."

Harrow found it all promising but there was only one question he wanted answering. "But will it kill a dragon?" Harrow looked at the punctured armor, dragon scales were far stronger then the steel made by men, even ballistae bolts had trouble penetrating dragon scale. "Even if we shot a dragon with these weapons a thousand times I doubt we could kill it."

"A thousand pinpricks can still kill," Anton stated factually. "But if you intend to kill a dragon quickly we will need to make something far bigger then this weapon."

"What about my stepson's design?" Harrow grabbed the blueprint Callum had sketched. "I've had numerous blacksmiths in Katolis try and make a functioning version of this, its essentially a massive version of that rifle of yours. Some versions had promise but most malfunctioned terribly." Harrow had watched several of them blow up as they were tested, he didn't dare use a weapon that was so risky not only to the enemy but also the crew manning it.

"The young prince sketched this along with discovering the formula for the explosive powder?" Anton gazed at the blueprints and nodded thoughtfully. "Clever child, I'll be sure to extend him an invitation to the College of Enchanters. This blueprint has merit but I fear it will take more then a mere blacksmith to create a functioning version of this."

"Then make it so." Harrow turned towards the weapons, picking up one of the smaller ones. "I want a weapon capable of killing the largest of dragons. I dont care how long it takes or how much it costs. Katolis will fund the research, but I want a dedicated team from the college of enchanters working on this with Viren as head of the project."

"It will be done, your majesty." Anton bowed graciously. "Do I have your permission to take this blueprint? Its a bit rough but the concept is sound."

Harrow granted him permission and Anton, as well as the other members of the college delegation, took their leave with Viren who would be in charge of the men. It left him alone with King Ahling who set the rifle he had picked up onto one of the tables with the other weapons.

"So you intend to go through with it?" Ahling asked, his usual jovial voice was deadly serious. Harrow didn't even need to ask what the man was referring to.

"Of course." Harrow knew what he had to do. "Thunder must die for what he did, he killed three Queens, one of them my wife. My youngest son is growing up without any real memories of his mother and Callum...he's changed. I've tried to ignore it, I've tried to think that maybe it's just a phase but the boy has changed. I think a large part of him died along with his mother, he doesn't laugh or have fun like he used to. He justs stay's locked up in his room, researching magic and creating weapons like this explosive powder."

Ahling paced around the courtyard, showing a remarkable lack of composure for a king. "This is a dangerous path you are taking. Killing Thunder, the elves will not take kindly to that, there will be blood."

"There always is, but I'm willing to pay that price." He was willing to risk it all if it meant avenging Sarai. "My dream is to make him pay for what he did."

"How many of your own people are you willing to sacrifice to make that dream of yours a reality?"

"The people loved my wife, the warrior Queen of common blood who captured the hearts and minds of everyone in Katolis whether they be noble or common born. In the weeks following her death crowds of people waited outside the castle gates demanding justice as they mourned for their Queen." Harrow could still remember it all, people calling for blood, demanding war, that he march upon Xadia with his army. "But I believe in only fighting battles that I can win, with Callum's creation I believe we can even the odds and make victory a possibility."

"Even if you can create this weapon, transporting it through the breach will be no easy task." Ahling pointed out. "Even if you can kill Thunder the elves will seek to avenge him. How do you see this ending?"

"The same way it began, in blood. But regardless of the cost justice has to be done."

"Nothing I say will dissuade you from this path, I see that now." Ahling shrugged, wiping his hands of the situation. "Just be careful, you believe that the elves will seek vengeance only upon yourself. But when you seek revenge its often the people you care most about who end up paying the price."

* * *

Callum breathed in the salty air of the sea as the royal flagship Sweet Sarai glided across the ocean. The royal flagship was bustling with activity as numerous sailors were manning the ship's rigging as well as climbing up and down on numerous ropes that connected the massive galleons sails with the deck.

He walked to the very front of the ship where he saw the figurehead of the ship which was carved in the image of his mother, fully armored for battle holding a spear forward as if she was cutting through the waves of the ocean.

"A beautiful day." The voice of his teacher said the elf was back in spirit form, leaving his painted body on the canvas of his portrait.

"It is a nice day, we should be seeing Evenere soon enough." According to the sailors, Evenere would be in sight soon. He looked at the vast ocean and felt a smile come to his lips. "Since we're here I'm guessing you'll be teaching me how to tap into the ocean arcanum? There's a lot of ocean for me to work with."

"No." Aaravos shook his head, his expression contemplative. "The ocean is a dangerous source to tap into, I would prefer you to begin with sky or sun, even the earth is preferable to the ocean."

"The oceans dangerous?" Callum looked at the vast blue sea stretched out before him and felt like there was something he wasn't understanding. "I mean sure, ships can sink and tidal waves sound scary but the ocean doesn't seem all that dangerous. The sky arcanum involves storms and stuff and that seems more dangerous then the ocean."

"The ocean is a dark place, full of terrors and currents that lead to dark things." His teacher's voice was serious, lacking its usual smugness or teasing tone. "Some parts could even be described as evil."

"You said the primal sources aren't good or evil, they simply exist as sources of energy for all."

"That's true, but many dark things can tap into the primal sources, the ocean most of all." Aaravos turned his gaze to the blue expanse before them. "All creatures of water are kin and tap into the ocean arcanum. The fish know all the secrets. They know the cold. They know the dark. In the deepest depths of the ocean, even light must die...and even death may die..."

"What are you talking about?" Callum hated when his teacher spoke in riddles, these riddles were especially creepy.

"Its nothing, let us not speak of such things while so close to the ocean. My point is the ocean arcanum will be among the last primal sources you shall learn, perhaps even the last."

"Fine..." As long as he was going to learn primal magic it didn't really matter much to him what order he learned it in so long as he eventually learned how to use them all. From there on his teacher was usually quiet and dismissed himself, claiming he was returning to the royal cabin so he could read some books. That left Callum alone on the ship with only the figurehead of his mother for company. He glanced at the figurehead and saw his mother's face, the wood had been gilded and shone in the sun so he had to avert his eyes lest he be blinded by her. Callum sat on the railing and closed his eyes, allowing himself to enjoy the silence. It was very rare that he was alone since he always had Aaravos in his shadow so these few moments alone-time he treasured.

"Land!" A man from the crow's nest called out, shattering the peace that Callum had been enjoying. The ship's deck became much more crowded as every single man and woman aboard came up to look at the land.

Callum had good eyes but even he had trouble seeing the land in the distance, it was little more then a small speck of black that could barely be made out, yet the wind was blowing hard and as the ship drew closer that tiny speck became much larger. Soren and Claudia soon joined him in watching the land grow larger and both brother and sister could barely contain their excitement.

"We are going to learn so much." Claudia gushed as she gazed ahead. "I wonder if the local College of Enchanters will let me into their library?"

Soren laughed at his sister's antics. "I can't believe that after spending two weeks cooped up in a ship that you're going to spend your time in an old library with dusty tomes."

"I'll just be glad to be on land," Callum muttered while he didn't hate traveling by sea he would like some steady ground beneath his feet. He also needed to buy a new wardrobe after his teacher had donated most of his clothes to the fish in the depths of the ocean. Even now Callum was wearing a red silk shirt with black pants that would seem more at appropriate at a fancy dinner party then the deck of a ship.

Callum waited for the ship to reach land, making idle chatter with Claudia and Soren. Claudia spoke endlessly about the wonders they would see in Evenere while Soren was making a list of all the curse words the sailors were saying until Claudia threw the list into the ocean after Soren started using the words to describe her in unflattering ways.

Soon land became much more clear, a line of large stony ridges poked from the sea, their steep slopes covered in numerous trees such as soldier pines. It was like a giant mountain range in the form of a wall, according to Claudia the ridges acted like a natural breakwater that kept the massive waves from hitting the coast of Evenere.

There were gaps in the wall, whether they were natural or man-made Callum couldn't tell, but wherever there was a gap there were ships and even defenses built upon the ridges close to the water. Numerous scorpions, spitfires, trebuchets, and numerous other siege weapons were located on small manmade battlements upon the sea wall. Several of the ships that were guarding the gaps unfurled their sails and began heading towards the Sweet Sarai to escort them into a safe harbor.

The ships themselves were an impressive sight, even the smallest were close to the Sweet Sarai in size, their hulls pitch black and their sails a dark green with the Dragonfly or Evenere proudly displayed in golden splendor on their sails. Claudia explained that the ship's black hulls were the result of being treated by a paint made in the marshes that made the ships resistant to fire and even the blows of weapons from other ships. She also claimed the color of the sails was the result of a special dye made only in Evenere since it required the slime from a special snail that only lived in the marshes and lagoons of the island nation.

With their escort, the ship made greet time in passing through one of the holes in the sea wall, and once through Callum and everyone else on board were able to see the splendor of the land they were visiting. Much like Katolis, the nation of Evenere was named after its capital. Yet that was all Evenere had in common with Katolis because it's capital city was unlike any city in the known world. Evenere was a massive city built upon a hundred islands within a large lagoon. Callum could only look in wonder as he saw numerous buildings that sprung up from the lagoons waters. Domes, towers, and buildings rose up from numerous islands, all of them linked together by numerous bridges, some small and others large and sprawling. Between the islands were canals which the people of Evenere used to travel around the city.

There were numerous docks and harbors for people to make a safe landing. Callum saw ships from every kingdom docked or sailing out from Evenere. The waters that surrounded them were also filled with ships whether they are visiting from afar, patrolling the waters, or even small fishing ships that the locals used to catch fish in the bay.

He wanted to get a closer look, they were still a good distance away from the city so Callum could only make out small details. He was tempted to whip out his sketchbook and start drawing the city but Opeli's voice rang out on the deck, demanding everyone's attention."Get ready to go ashore!" She called out as she walked towards Callum and his friends. "You three will be going first, Queen Fareeda herself has sent out the royal barge to take you all to her palace. Dont bother bringing any of your belongings, the crew will see to it that they reach your quarters later in the day."

With nothing to do but wait for the royal barge to show up talk turned to other things, with Soren having one thing in particular on his mind.

"I've heard that this place has the best courtesans in all the five kingdoms," Soren said in an excited voice. "Some of the men below decks were talking about the pleasure barges here, apparently the courtesans of Evenere are legendary, even greater then the ones found in Duren, they sail around the canal and bays on their own personal pleasure barge as they entertain their clients."

"Gross!' Claudia could hardly contain her disgust at her brother's obsession. "I won't have you running off with some dirty street-walker."

"Not street-walker, a courtesan. According to the sailors, there's a huge difference." Soren corrected. "I've heard that the nobles here beggar themselves just to have them attend parties with them. Goldsmiths and jewelers shower them will gifts and craftsmen beg for their custom. They are like celebrities, cultured and beautiful and I intend to get one to go on a date with me."

Callum had to cover his mouth to avoid laughing as Claudia grabbed her brother's ear and gave it a painful twist.

"Ow!" Soren complained as he tried to get Claudia to release her grip. "Stop it Clauds!"

"If you catch a pox from one of these whores, dont look at me to cure it with magic." She complained. "Also from what I've heard these whores you're obsessed with cost a fortune, and you lost all your money on the voyage here playing dice with the sailors."

"Callum can afford it." Soren came up next to Callum and put a friendly arm around the younger boys' shoulder. "What do you say, Callum? The two of us on a pleasure barge with the hottest girls in the world. I know you're old enough to be interested in girls." He leaned in closer to Callum's ear. "I see the way you look at my sister, well the courtesans make her look like an ugly duckling. Lend me some gold and we can party in this city." He whispered secretively.

"What are you two talking about?" Claudia had her hands on her hips, her eyes filled with suspicion.

Not wanting to get on Claudia's bad side Callum slunk away from Soren. "You're on your own." Callum turned his attention back to the city, or at least what little he could see from a distance and he noticed something odd. "There are no walls, I've never seen a major city without walls."

Claudia took a break from berating her brother to answer Callum. "The natural sea wall is the only wall this city needs." Claudia gestured towards the pine clade hills they had passed to reach the city. "As for the city itself, the ships that protect it are its walls. The Evenere navy is larger then the navy of all the other four kingdoms combined."

The three fell into relaxed conversation with Claudia and Soren occasionally squabbling, yet within the hour a barge sailed up to the Sweet Sarai and there was no doubt it was the royal barge. It was as luxurious a vessel with golden wood making up its body rather then the pitch-black wood of the various ships in the bay. The ship's deck had numerous tables and chairs that were meant for lounging and the deck was full of soldiers and servants wearing the finest garb.

A gangplank was brought down between the two ships and Opeli led Callum, Soren, and Claudia onto the barge as they walked across the gangplank. Callum wasn't sure when but his teacher had returned and walked alongside him.

"I owned a pleasure barge like this once, although it was far more elegant," Aaravos said as he kept pace with his apprentice. "I remember taking trips down the great rivers of Xadia, numerous servants to attend to me, I can't even remember the last time someone peeled a grape for me...my lifestyle sure has gone downhill since I departed my mortal body..."

Callum didn't answer, he had learned long ago that answering his teacher in public made him look like a lunatic talking to an invisible person. So he learned to ignore his teacher when the elf rambled about random things when they were in public together.

As they got upon the deck of the barge they saw Queen Fareeda herself standing upon the deck, dressed in queenly raiment. She wore a green toupe gown as was custom for her people and numerous golden pieces of jewelry covered her body. The most prominent of which was a large golden necklace studded with emeralds.

Callum gave a slight bow and Soren and Claudia followed suit. Evenere lacked the intricate courtesies of some of the other kingdoms with a shallow bow being all that was necessary when greeting nobility.

"I welcome all of you to Evenere. It's wonderful to see you again Prince Callum, it is an honor to have you in our humble city." Queen Fareeda began, her green eyes shone in the midday sun. "I know you must all be weary from your journey across the sea, so let us dispense with the courtly rituals and instead get you to my palace where you can relax after your long journey."

"That sounds wonderful your majesty, we are honored by your generosity and hospitality," Callum replied courteously as was expected of a visiting prince. He wished Opeli could have handled this but she stood with Soren and Claudia, although a noble she was still beneath him in station so it was up to him to handle this sort of matter. Luckily Opeli had drilled into him enough etiquette in the last few days to get him through these types of proceedings.

Fareeda nodded and signaled for her sailors to prepare the barge for departure. Soon the barges gangplank was lowered and it was heading for Evenere proper with Callum and his friends in tow. With the brief rituals over Opeli took over and began conversing with Queen Fareeda while Callum and his friends went to the front of the barge and watched the city get closer.

Callum felt a chill as he saw his master standing next to him. The elf's gaze was fixed on the city as it drew ever closer.

"This is where we will begin your training proper," Aaravos stated as he gazed at the city that they were fast approaching. "Up until now it's been book study and painting, here is where the real training begins. Do you think you're ready for it my apprentice?"

Callum looked back at the Sweet Sarai, at the gilded figurehead that was the spitting image of his mother. The mother that Thunder had killed, the mother that his brother would never know.

"I've been ready for over three years," Callum said, his voice barely above a whisper so that only his teacher could hear. "I will become an archmage and protect my brother and his kingdom."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, please leave a review/comment. It really helps me know whether I'm doing a good job or not.
> 
> This was an unusually long chapter-I wanted it to be around 600,-7000 words but cutting it short made the structure awkward so that's why this chapter is 12,000 words. Also, I really wanted to get everyone to Evenere before starting the next chapter.
> 
> For those with good eyes...Evenere is a combination of Braavos and Dunwall. With my own little twists on it of course.
> 
> Dont be afraid to post any questions or suggestions in the comments-I might not always agree but I do try to respond to them.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter, have a good one.
> 
> Also for the next two weeks, I'm working six days a week, so I'm not sure when my next update will be, sorry.


	6. Chapter 6

Callum took in the sights and smells of Evenere as Queen Fareedas barge sailed into the city. Evenere was a city built upon a hundred islands, some big and some small all located in a massive lagoon where the waters of the ocean met the waters of numerous rivers from Evenere's mainland.

The numerous islands had streets and buildings of various makes depending on the social status of those who lived upon them. Yet all the islands were connected by numerous bridges, while canals snaked through them allowing a person to traverse the entire city by boat if necessary.

Queen Fareeda's barge was big enough to comfortably fit Callum and his visiting retinue along with Queen Fareeda's guards, counselors, and sailors necessary to man the barge's oars. It glided through the canals of the city like a palace on the water as it made its way to the heart of the city where the Queen's palace was located, all the while Queen Fareeda pointed out numerous landmarks and points of interest.

"We have just left the Green Harbor where vessels belonging to the navy or those of importance may dock." Fareeda gestured to where they had just sailed from. "Yet on the other side of the canal on the opposite island is the Far Harbor where numerous ships from all the other kingdoms dock. While less grand then the Green harbor I find it to be more lively."

Callum looked over and saw that the Queen's words rang true. The Green harbor was full of warships and royal vessels, all neat and organized with sailors going about their business in an orderly fashion. The Far Harbor, on the other hand, was absolute chaos. Ships from all corners of the Human Kingdoms were docked and he saw numerous people crowding the harbor, all, yelling in the trade tongue, a type of pidgin created by people from all five kingdoms accents mixing together.

He saw peddlers selling their wares, bakers selling pies, mummer acts going on with makeshift stages and props, people from numerous kingdoms yelling at each other in the trade tongue, and more then a few ladies of the night calling out to the sailors. There was even a duel occurring, with two men fencing with slim Evenere sabers striking at each other, their movements swift and hard to follow as numerous people in the surrounding harbor cheered for them and placed bets on whom would win.

The duel fascinated Callum and even Soren came up alongside him to watch, yet the Queen's barge floated along the canals quickly and soon the duel was far behind them as they continued the tour of the city. The tour itself was very interesting as Fareeda pointed out the landmarks and points of interest, Callum made mental notes to visit several of the locations he saw. Though most of the locations were taverns, inns, and wine sinks where people drank and made merry.

They passed by numerous fish markets that swarmed with herring sellers, cod wives, oystermen, clam diggers, cooks, and sailors all haggling over prices. Numerous people went to and fro on land and by water as the canals were filled with small boats, some only carried people while others transported the days catch to and from the markets.

The boats were what Callum saw most of, most were small pole boats that people used to get from place to place as well as numerous barges of similar make to the one he was on. One of the barges he passed was a restaurant where people were eating on crowded tables as the barge drifted down the canals. The sight of the Queen's barge drew numerous stares from people on the cobblestone bridges and from people on neighboring boats. Some people cheered, though most simply gave a slight bow as the barge passed by, with the only standout being one man cat-calling the queen. "Fuck the Queen, the royal whore that married a bastard!" A drunken man called out from the edge of one of the manmade piers at the edges of the canals, he held up a mug of beer as he leered at the Queen.

Fareeda acted as if she hadn't heard the man and instead pointed out that they were next to the great temple of the moon and sea, a wonderful building made out of white marble with a gilded roof. Yet while the Queen was acting the part of royal guide one of her guards wasn't so forgiving and turned towards the man who had insulted the Queen.

Callum, Soren, and Claudia watched as the guard reached into his belt and brought out a simple sling, made of two cords of rope attached to a leather pouch. With practiced ease the soldier loaded it with a smooth rock he produced from a pouch attached to his belt and slung the rock at the drunkard.

The rock impacted the man right in his crotch and he let out a pained scream as he dropped his mug of beer into the canals before promptly falling into the canal himself.

"Nice shot," Soren said, admiring the soldier's aim.

"Not really." The guard replied in a bored tone. "I was aiming for the head upon his shoulders, not the one between his legs."

Callum turned his attention to the soldiers that guarded the Queen and her retinue. In Katolis the royal Crownguard were outfitted with the best plate armor the smiths of Katolis could manufacture and usually wielded sword, shield and sometimes maces or war hammers.

Yet the Queen's protectors wore boiled leather which was deep green in color, the only thing metal was their helmets and even that was wrapped in boiled green leather. Instead of the longswords and maces that Katolian soldiers wielded the guards here wielded tridents and spears as their main weapons with slim sabers as their backup weapon. On their belts, he saw slings and of all things a dagger made out of gleaming black stone, obsidian if he had to guess.

_'Opeli wasn't lying when she said they didn't wear heavy armor here, and these weapons...'_ Callum wondered to himself as he looked at the guards. It made him realize he was in another culture entirely, one where even the clothes and weapons soldiers wielded was alien to him.

The tour continued uninterrupted as they continued on to the island where they would be staying. The closer to the mainland one got the richer the architecture became with the only exception being a large portion of the city that was half-submerged underwater. It was called the drowned town, the island it had been built on had eroded away due to its foundation being soft and had sunk along with all the buildings that had been built upon it.

As they neared the Queen's palace another barge came up alongside their own, as richly decorated as the Queens. Sweet music filled the air as there was a band playing soothing music upon the boat which drifted through the canals. The band and all the attendants of the other barge were playing for the pleasure of a woman.

The woman was dressed from head to toe in white silks with nearly every inch of her skin covered. Even her face and hair were hidden behind a white veil, revealing eyes that were the darkest shade of blue he had ever seen. Her fingers had silver rings and she wore a silver necklace decorated with stones that seemed to shine with silver light around her slender neck.

"That's the Veiled Lady," Fareeda explained as she saw everyone's attention was on the neighboring barge. "She is a renowned...entertainer and celebrity in our fair city."

_'In other words a courtesan.'_ Callum knew Fareeda had avoided using that word for his sake, adults always treated him like he was a child. _'I'll be ten in a few months though, once I reach the double digits I should be treated more like an adult.'_

"She's beautiful," Soren muttered as he gazed at her longingly.

Claudia scoffed. "How can you tell? Her face is hidden."

"I have a sense for these sorts of things," Soren replied as he continued gazing at the veiled lady. "I heard about her from the sailors on our ship, apparently she only shows her face to her lovers."

Callum looked at her curiously, her dress was made out of silk yet he had never seen silk so intricately designed. Everything about the veiled lady seemed to exude an otherworldly aura, her jewelry and white silk clothes almost had a strange white glow to them. She had a ring on each finger, all ten were silver with white pearls. On her collar was a brooch of pure silver with a moonstone the size of an egg as its jewel. He had been staring so intensely that the woman felt it, she turned her gaze upon him and their eyes met. Her gaze seemed to pierce into him right down through his skin and into his very soul. Callum would have looked away but her eyes captured his attention, he had thought they were a deep blue but now they seemed almost purple when the light of the sun hit them. The Veiled Lady's barge took a turn down a separate canal, sending her away from the Queen's barge. Yet even as it drifted away Callum felt uneasy, as if the woman was still staring at him still.

"Is something wrong?" Aaravos spoke up, surprising Callum since his teacher had been silent on this journey. "You seem troubled."

"Its nothing...I just...its nothing." Callum muttered as he watched the Veiled Ladys barge disappear in the distance.

Soon they found themselves at the Queen's palace which was located on an island close to the mainland. The palace was enormous and clearly built for luxury rather then defense. Its walls were green marble stone with numerous archways, balconies and a domed roof. There appeared to be the main palace and numerous other towers that surrounded it, each connected to the palace. Callum counted seven towers in total, all equally large being at least a dozen stories tall.

At first, Callum found it odd for a monarch home to seem so undefended. Katolis castle didn't look nearly as nice as the palace in front of him but the castle was highly defendable with utility in mind with its construction. Yet as he looked closer he was that there were defenses in place for the palace. There was only two bridges that led to the palace, one that connected to another of the hundred islands and one that connected to the Evenerian mainland. Both were heavily fortified with massive gatehouses made from grey marble and both were heavily defended by soldiers wearing the familiar green leather armor of the Queen's guards.

Attacking the gates would be suicidal, and attacking from the water would be even more suicidal. The waters surrounding the palace had numerous small patrol boats, filled with soldiers wielding bows and crossbows. No one would be able to sneak in undetected by land or sea.

' _I guess we won't be sneaking out of the palace to train.'_ Callum thought grimly as he wondered how he would manage to train in magic with such a large armed presence.

As if sensing his thoughts his teacher put a reassuring hand on his shoulder, his spectral hand left no physical sensation beyond sending a chill through Callum's body. "Fear not my apprentice, we will find a way to train. Even with all these eyes upon us….well on you anyway, it's not like they can see me."

Before he could respond the barge came up to the docks next to the palace. Once the ship was tied to the docks Queen Fareeda led them all off the barge and into the palace proper. As he walked with Soren, Claudia, and his teacher trailing after him he took in the sights around him with great interest. Katolis castle was decorated mainly with tapestries, paintings, as well as suits of armor and weapons which were used for display purposes. The Evenere Palace was decorated with carvings engraved on the walls of the palace itself along with numerous gardens and manmade ponds.

As he walked to the main entrance of the palace with Queen Fareeda leading them he had two large decorative manmade ponds on either side of him. There were beautifully colored fish in them along with frogs and other freshwater animals. Behind him, he heard Claudia claim the fish were called 'Koi' and the ponds were meant to be relaxing. It was certainly more interesting to look at then the garden in Katolis which was nothing but flowers and fountains.

The guards opened the double doors of the palace and Fareeda led them in and gave a quick tour of the layout of the palace. There was the great hall with its tall domed ceiling, the ground was covered in green carpets, its walls lit by torches and candles, and at the far end was the Seastone Throne where the king and queen held court from. After that Queen Fareeda gave them a quick tour of the main hall and library which Claudia had to be pulled away from by force by both Callum and Soren.

After the brief tour, the Queen led them to the edge of the palace where the hall diverged into three separate hallways. "I'm sorry for such a brief tour but I'm sure you will become better acquainted with the palace since you'll be staying here for some time." Queen Fareeda said graciously. "After so many weeks at sea, I'm sure you all wish to rest." She gestured to one of the hallways. "The hall to the left leads to the tower of steel which is where Soren will be staying, the hall to the right leads to the maiden's tower where Claudia will be staying, and the hall straight down the middle will lead to the Kings tower which is where Prince Callum will be staying."

"We each get our own tower?" Claudia asked, surprise evident in her voice.

"Of course, they were built for guests and there are three of you and seven towers. You each might as well get your own." The Queen replied graciously. "I've already had the servants clean the towers up and prepare them for your stay. You have them all to yourselves, the servants will clean them up when you aren't in them and they can bring you anything you need should you choose to summon them. Your luggage should also be arriving soon, the servants will bring them to your rooms."

With that, the Queen bowed and left the three of them alone in the halls.

"I guess I'll see you guys at dinner?" Claudia asked as she gazed down the long hallway that led to the maiden's tower.

"Yup, see ya, sis, I'll see ya later your majesty." Soren gave Callum a good-natured mock bow before he walked down the hall that led to his tower.

Following her brother's example gave Callum a little curtsy. "See you at dinner, your grace." She smiled and walked down the hall that led to her own tower.

"Let's go." Aaravos was already down the hall that led to the Kings Tower. "I wish to see what kind of place we will be staying in."

Callum followed his teacher down the hall to where they would be staying, he opened the gilded door that led to his new home for the foreseeable future and immediately felt relief at the spacious interior. The first floor was clearly a common room with couches and a hearth. It also had numerous other small rooms that each had bunk beds in them and barely any room to move clearly meant for the servants and soldiers of any visiting king. There were seven floors in total to the tower and the higher up Callum and Aaravos went the more luxurious the quarters.

"Royalty up top and the common man below." Aaravos had stated when they reached the top to find a luxurious room fit for a king. The carpet was soft, tapestries, curtains, couches, and chairs were in abundance. There was even a side room meant to be a personal office and study with a small library.

"Well, I'm royalty and I dont like having to climb up so many damn stairs," Callum replied, back home his own room was near the top of the smaller of Katolis castles uneven towers and even that was a pain to get to.

Once they got settled Aaravos began explaining his plans. "We brought the telescope so I can start teaching you about the stars. Beyond that, we will continue your knowledge of runes and the dragon tongue."

"That's all great, but what about training me to connect to the primal sources?" Callum asked impatiently. "You said it could take years for me to do it so we need to start right away."

"I said it could take years." Aaravos smiled mischievously. "But it won't in your case because you have the Key."

Callum reached into his satchel that he always carried and pulled out the Key, the cube that started everything. "The key you were imprisoned in?" He asked as he held it up in front of him.

"This item is many things, one of its uses is that it can act as a focus for connecting to the primal sources." He explained. "When meditating you can use it to focus upon the primal sources and….connect to them more intensely then a normal person would."

"How?"

"By testing you and opening up your mind."

"That's vague..."

"Most things with magic are." Aaravos shrugged. "But it's not as if it matters, this place won't work for teaching you to connect to the primal sources so I doubt we will be using it anytime soon."

"What?" Callum didn't understand, they were away from Katolis and surrounded by nature. "Why can't I start my training? We can find a way to sneak out of here given enough time."

"There arent any primal sources to connect to here," Aaravos stated. "This tower isn't tall enough to be effective for you to connect to the sky, it's not the right climate for sun, and the moon and stars are difficult for one so young to grasp. Our best bet is getting the Queen to allow you to travel the swamps with a modest escort. Swamps are teeming with life and earth which makes them decent enough to learn to tap into the earth arcanum. It's not ideal but its a start..."

"There's always the ocean...we are surrounded by water and all water connects to the ocean..."

"No ocean." Aaravos declared with authority. "I told you that the ocean is too dangerous! To understand the ocean and make its strength your own...the ocean will test you in ways you can't even begin to comprehend."

"Afraid of a bit of water?" Callum joked, seeing his teacher this upset did scare him but it also amused him. "Did a shark bite you when you were a child? Traumatize you?"

"Yes," Aaravos said, surprising Callum. "Although it was when I was a teenager and it wasn't a shark but an ocean elf girl with sharp teeth, she accidentally bit me when she was giving me a-nevermind, Ill tell you when you're older. My point is that there will be no ocean arcanum for you until you have more experience under your belt."

"Experience I won't get for years at this rate."

"Relax, you're young. I dont see what the rush is."

"Of course you dont, you're an elf! You have a lifespan of over a thousand years! Time is meaningless to you whether it be seconds or centuries!"

"Relax, in a few days we can try getting you into those swamps." Aaravos gestured towards the key. "This will allow you to tap into the earth's arcanum. Trust me."

"I've been trusting you for three years and-" The sound of footsteps made Callum fall silent and walk towards the door to his quarters when he heard a knock.

"Prince Callum, may I come in?" The voice of Corvus asked from the other side of the door. "The servants have brought all your belongings in from the ship. We wish to know where you would like them placed."

"Alright." Callum agreed as he opened the door, the next half hour was nothing but organizing his belongings. He had his most valuable items put on the first floor since the top floor had the sturdiest lock, his chests of gold and items he needed for magic were stored there, the rest of his belongings such as clothes, books, and random luggage were put on the floor beneath him. The rest of the floors of the tower he didn't use since there were five more. So much room made him wonder just how much stuff visiting kings and nobles brought with them.

Once all his stuff was put away the servants left...yet Corvus stayed.

"Was there something else you wanted?" Callum asked awkwardly as he stood in front of the man on the fifth floor of the tower.

"I'm your sworn shield for this journey, I will be staying here in order to see to your safety. I simply need to know where you wish me to sleep." Corvus replied politely, still at attention like a clockwork soldier.

_'Just what I need, a pair of eyes on me.'_ Callum thought grimly. "The second floor has some nice rooms, a couch, and a privy. Make yourself at home there. The floors above it are off-limits unless I invite you up. Understand?" He hated giving orders but he needed his privacy. His teacher and he often shouted at each other and they needed space.

"Understood your majesty." Corvus turned and was about to walk away but stopped as he was about to leave the room. "By the way, Queen Fareeda says dinner will be in an hour, its to be a feast to welcome you and your colleagues to the kingdom. Lady Opeli wishes you to understand the importance of dressing nicely and-"

"-And courtly decorum, I know." Callum rolled his eyes. "Soren is the one she should worry about, but I thank you for the warning."

"Also there is a bath down the hall if you wish to freshen up," Corvus stated. "I could also have the servants draw you a bath here, there's a copper tub on this floor that-"

"No need for that, I'll use the shared bath." Callum hated being waited on, he most certainly didn't want servants dragging hot water up so many floors.

Corvus bowed once more and left Callum alone. Callum walked to the top floor and into his quarters and looked through all his luggage until he found his paintings. He pulled out one of his teachers and summoned forth the painted body that Aaravos used to interact with the physical world.

"I'm going to take a bath, you can do whatever you want. I have to get ready for this feast." Callum grabbed some towels and a change of clothes, deciding to wear the red and gold doublet he had used during his practice dinner.

An hour later he was washed and dressed and walking towards the dining room for the feast. His teacher's specter wasn't with him, having decided that organizing his bedroom and reading was preferable to a human feast where he couldn't partake in any of the food. Callum left his room with Corvus in tow, the man was carrying his gift to Queen Fareeda, the portrait he had painted of her. He had it in a frame of black ebony wood with gold accents. As Callum approached the dining hall he was joined by Claudia and Soren who were both dressed equally fancy for the occasion.

"I hope they dont have jellied eels here..." Soren muttered before turning a quizzical look at Corvus. "What the heck are you carrying?"

Corvus grunted as he tried his best to maintain a proper posture while carrying the painting. It was fairly heavy in its frame and it was wrapped in green wrapping paper to protect its contents from prying eyes.

"He's carrying my gift to the Queen." Callum intoned, saving Corvus from having to answer Soren. "I painted her portrait on the way over here. I hope she likes it."

"If it's even half as good as the one you painted of me then I'm sure she'll love it." Claudia put forth happily.

"Never offered to paint one of me," Soren grumbled.

"I only paint beautiful things."

"Hey!" Soren grumbled. "I'm beautiful..." A mischievous twinkle came into Soren's eye. "Although I do find it interesting that you think my sisters beautiful. Do I have to look forward to having you as a good-brother in the future?"

Callum felt the heat rise to his cheeks, he had just inadvertently admitted that he found Calduai beautiful.

"Quit teasing us and be quiet..." Claudia scolded. "We're about to enter the feast and I doubt Opeli will appreciate you making fun of the prince." With that warning, Claudia opened the door to the dining hall and they each entered it with great apprehension.

"Welcoming Prince Callum of Katolis, Stepson of his Majesty King Harrow!" A herald cried out as the three entered the hall. "Attending him is Sir Soren son of Lord Viren, and Lady Claudia daughter of Lord Viren!" The herald turned to Corvus. "Also welcoming Corvus son of...uh..."

"You wouldn't know him!" Corvus grumbled as he continued to struggle to carry the painting Callum had charged him with carrying.

Callum had expected the feasting hall to be made out of marble like the other parts of the palace but instead, he found that it went for more of a homely and authentic feel. The hall was made of wooden planks which were notched cleverly together and decorated with all the creatures of the sea. The wood was painted on every surface whether it be the floor, walls, and even the ceiling.

The floor was painted to depict the ocean floor with sand, seaweed forests, and coral reefs. As Callum walked towards the high table where he and his friends were supposed to sit he trodded upon crabs, clams, and lobsters which were painted with loving detail. On the walls of the room, sharks prowled the water along with dolphins and numerous schools of every type of fish imaginable. Behind the high seats, a giant leviathan and Kraken were locked in battle beneath painted waves.

The tables were cluttered with food, most of it the Evenerian fare that the trio had been eating the last few days but it was prepared much more professionally. There was the traditional prawn gumbo, frogs legs, fish stew, eel pie, and numerous other dishes that none of them recognized.

Queen Fareeda was standing near the high seat upon the dais where the royal family ate. The tables below were cluttered with numerous people of lower social status such as soldiers and servants while the high seat only had space for a dozen or so nobles and aristocrats.

"It's our honor to have you here Prince Callum." Fareeda began before looking at Soren and Claudia. "It is also our pleasure to welcome the children of Lord Viren, Sir Soren, and Lady Claudia."

_'Protocol...'_ Callum thought glumly, he wished Opeli would handle this. That's when he realized Opeli wasn't with them, his eyes discreetly scanned the room and saw her in standing at the high table, she was already here and most likely had been introduced, which left him to handle the welcome for his group. _'That crafty old...'_ He saw a smile on her face, clearly she was testing him and his knowledge of all those etiquette lessons.

"The honor is ours." Callum bowed, if Opeli was watching to see if they failed then he would happily prove her wrong. "Being here in your kingdom and beneath the roof of your palace is a privilege as well as an honor." He was thankful that the courtesies here were short and to the point. It would only get complicated when they reached Neolandia and Duren.

"We thank you for your kind words." Fareeda nodded to the people standing next to her. "Allow me to introduce my family. This is King Florent, my royal husband."

Florent was a tall man with long curly blond hair, he had a long face, a beak nose, and an eyepatch over his left eye. The man was tall, easily over six feet and he had a lithe build. He wore a green doublet with the golden dragonfly of Evenere embroidered in cloth of gold on his chest.

"And these are my children, Prince Axell and Princess Meredith."

Callum saw that Axell was around Ezrans age, perhaps a little younger. He had straight blond hair, a round face with a button nose, and green eyes. Meredith, on the other hand, was older, being around Claudia's age. She was a ginger-like her mother, a near-perfect copy of Queen Fareeda except that rather then her hair being straight it was curly and done up in a large bun.

With the introductions out of the way, there was only one thing left to do before dinner could begin. Opeli stepped forward and summoned several of the servants that journeyed with them and brought forth the guest gifts that Harrow had sent. Several chests were presented to the Queen Fareeda and her family who accepted them graciously. The chests held mostly fine silks, jewelry, and beautiful weapons forged by Katolis smiths. Once those were accepted by Fareeda Callum decided to offer his own.

"What is this Prince Callum?" Fareeda asked curiously as Corvus hefted the package up to the dais. It was still wrapped up although most with any sense could see it was some sort of painting.

"I know my father has already given you gifts." Callum gestured to the chests that had been set down by the servants. "But I wished to offer something more personal as a thank you for letting me and my friends stay as guests in your kingdom. Corvus if you would please present the Queen with her gift."

Corvus set the painting down in front of the Queen and unwrapped it so that it could be seen. Callum felt the heat rise to his cheeks as so many people gazed upon one of his paintings. He was more used to either keeping his paintings in his room or giving them as personal gifts. Never had so many eyes been on one of his works and he was suddenly very self-conscious about it.

"It's beautiful," Fareeda said as she inspected the portrait, numerous other people who were watching were muttering their agreement. "Although...I dont recall posing for this portrait..."

"You didn't," Callum spoke up, trying to hide the embarrassment in his voice. "I painted it on the trip over here, I based it off my memories of you when you visited Katolis a few years ago. I have a pretty good memory and you made quite the impression."

"Courteous and charming, Katolis is lucky to have you as their prince." Fareeda leaned down and gave him a kiss on his cheek, he felt the heat rise to his cheeks as his face turned as red as a tomato.

He thanked her for her compliments and Fareeda summoned several servants who hung the painting next to the high table. An act which made Callum even more embarrassed as he took his seat next to Soren, Claudia, and Opeli on the high table. Having one of his own works staring at him throughout a long feast made him, even more, self-conscious.

He was thankful when the feasting began, food offered him a distraction from the spectacle he made of himself. Thankfully the food was good and the company around him even better. Aside from the royal family, there were several prominent nobles and traders at the high table as well. The conversations were diverse and more lively then he had expected at a royal feast. The conversations were diverse ranging from personal topics, trade, finance, and even the weather.

Callum really didn't have much to talk about until one man a few seats to his left on the other side of the table managed to get his attention. "Its a pleasure to finally meet you." The man said he was on the other side of the table in a place of honor. He was a small mousey man with a widow's peak and two strange glass lenses over his eyes. "I'm Pierro of Gristol, I'm the magister of the Evenere College of Enchanters and the court wizard for her majesty Queen Fareeda."

"The pleasure's mine," Callum replied politely, the man in front of him didn't look like a wizard, but then again the only two mages he knew were Aaravos and Viren. Maybe not all mages wore robes and carried staffs.

"I know this might not be the best time but I received a crow message from several of my colleagues in Katolis. They were most impressed with your explosive powder and wanted me to extend you an invitation to the College."

"I'm honored," Callum replied, not sure what else to say. "Although I admit I dont know much about the College of Enchanters beyond the fact that they teach people dark magic."

Claudia interjected herself into the conversation, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "They are the foremost experts in all things magical and scientific." She let out a wistful sigh. "They also have the greatest libraries and vaults full of magical artifacts. I've never heard of someone our age being invited to join the college."

"Usually the youngest people to attend are teenagers, but sometimes younger children are welcomed if they are of noble birth or show great talent in either magic or a scientific field," Pierro explained as he turned to Callum. "As an honorary member, you will have access to our finest lab equipment, libraries, and magical reagents."

it sounded too good to be true. "So do I have to pay? Also what's expected of me?'

"You dont have to pay to use lab equipment or the facilities but reagents do cost money, but we sell them at cost. Beats any price you'll find on the general market." Pierro explained. "As for what's expected of you...nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Nothing really." Pierro nodded. "If you make any breakthroughs in magic or science we merely hope they will be shared with your fellow college members. For example if you had discovered blasting powder as a member of the college you would have been granted a patent for it, credited in every journal we have, and if you wished we would create and sell the powder on your behalf across all the five kingdoms with you getting a larger share of the credit and profits. We take only a small ten percent cut after expenses which allows us to improve the college and thus open up more gateways for magical and scientific discoveries."

Callum found that rather interesting, and a handy way to make a profit if he ever needed more money then what he had. The access to numerous rare reagents and magical artifacts bit also interested him. "Does the college sell primal stones by any chance?"

"Those are extremely rare but yes we have a few that are for sale," Pierro said with some hesitation. "They are extremely expensive though. Primal stones are rare even in Xadia, the few we get our hands on are guarded greedily by mages, they are almost like heirlooms that pass from master to apprentice."

"What type do you have and how much are they?" Callum could barely guard the excitement in his voice, he noticed his conversation with the magister had attracted attention from other diners but he didn't care. This was another major step toward his dream of becoming an archmage.

"We have a primal stone of sky and one of the ocean. Both go for five hundred golden royals."

The price made Callum's mouth figuratively hit the floor. He had the money to be sure but it was almost two chests worth of gold. He had only brought six chests of gold with him, figuring it would be more then enough for any purchases he made. "Five hundred golden royals for two primal stones?"

"Not for two, its five hundred royals for each of them. A thousand if you want both." As if sensing Callums dread Pierro continued. "To be honest its a bargain, these sorts of artifacts are rarely sold at all. The only reason we have them up for sale is that one of our magisters recently went bankrupt and had to sell a lot of his belongings in order to get himself out of bankruptcy."

"That's...still a lot more then I planned on spending but I guess I dont have a choice," Callum muttered sadly, that was most of his money gone in a blink of an eye. He had to find a way to make it back, there would no doubt be a great deal of money in his future when Katolis began exporting blasting powder but until then he needed more revenue. "I'll take them if you could bring them by the palace later Ill have your gold waiting for you."

"As a magister, I dont actually handle sales but I'll have one of the novices bring you the stones tomorrow." Pierro nodded and the conversation moved on topics that didn't bankrupt Callum.

Eventually, Soren made a declaration that he wanted to try his hand at dueling one of the Evenerian water dancers, to show that Katolian swordsmanship was it's equal if not better. A statement that got the attention of the King himself.

"If you like I can take you up on that challenge." Florent started with good humor. "I was the royal protector to Queen Fareeda long before I was king."

"Royal protector?" Soren asked. "That some kind of bodyguard?"

"It's far more then that," Fareeda said in a whistful tone. "A Royal protector is the shadow of the monarch, dedicated not only to protecting a ruler but also being responsible for keeping their secrets and offering counsel, should a ruler die under their protection then they live only long enough to avenge their charge before dying themselves. Only the very best may rise to such a position as it gives on status in court." She looked at Florent lovingly. "Florent here was so good at the job I decided to marry him, caused quite the scandal."

Seeing the confusion among his guests the King decided to explain. "I was a noble's bastard, walking the streets in soiled silks and living by my blade," Florent explained. "When it was announced that the royal family was holding a dueling tournament to see the best swordsman in the land I entered the lists. I won the tournament, vanquishing all my foes with ease, Fareeda took me as her bodyguard right after. Usually, Royal protectors are picked from the nobility, so someone of my low birth being given the honor was quite scandalous."

"So if I beat you that makes me the best swordsman in the land eh?" Soren smiled. "I'm going to show you and all these water dancers that a smallsword is no match for a big sword and thick armor."

"I look forward to it," Florent replied happily, a smile adorning his thin lips. "No doubt you and the young prince are quite accomplished swordsmen in the Katolian art of combat."

Soren was about to reply but bit his tongue when he saw Opeli glaring at him. Deciding to get it out of the way Callum decided to answer.

"Soren is the most talented swordsman of his generation. My King is already considering entering him into the Crownguard." Callum said, before letting out a tired sigh. "As for me...I'm not very good. I dont move well in armor and I'm rather clumsy with a sword. I prefer using magic."

"Have you considered trying the water dance?" Florent asked, drawing Callums attention. "You are still young but even I can tell your body is not suited for the Katolian art of combat, all that swinging and hammering away with a big weapon isn't suited for someone with your build. But with your lithe body, you could dance the water dance and become an accomplished swordsman. I can teach you if you'd like."

Callum really didn't want to accept the man's offer, he had tasted failure too many times when it came to combat training. But Florent was a king, a king who was graciously hosting him in his palace. It would be the height of rudeness to reject such a noble and generous offer. "I would...enjoy trying my hand at the water dance your majesty." Callum lied, hoping he sounded earnest.

"We'll create some time for lessons later this week." Florent nodded as he turned back to the feast.

The conversation lulled for a bit until several servants offered Callum, Soren, and Claudia wine in silver goblets. Opeli rose and offered a courteous and diplomatic protest. "It is not custom to serve highborn children wine in Katolis." She said in a calm voice. "If you had some grape juice or lemon water-"

"Well, I'm not a child." Soren butted in, cutting Opeli off, a smug smile adorning his face. "And since we are in Evenere we should follow Evenerian customs, dont you agree with me Lady Opeli?"

If looks could kill Soren would have died a thousand times over with the glare Opeli was sending his way, yet she managed to keep her temper in check. "It's not customary for highborn children to drink. Your father might be cross if I allowed you to get inebriated."

Callum looked at the wine and thought it just looked like grape juice, he had drunk beer and ale when he was younger could wine be any worse? "Well, whatever you and Soren decide, I'll be drinking. I'm not Highborn so those rules dont apply to me. I used to down four beers before bed back when I lived with my mother in a crofters village." He grabbed the silver goblet and took a sip before Opeli could protest. The wine tasted both sweet and sour at the same time, he recalled beer being bitter and thick but this was a smooth liquid. He downed the entire glass and placed the goblet down on the table harder then was necessary.

"I like this Princes style!" Florent declared as he laughed and turned to opeli who looked like she was about to have a panic attack. "Relax Lady Opeli, my children have been drinking this wine since they were weaned from my wife's breast. It's watered down and is mixed with honey, my kids drink it more then water." He gestured to where his children were seated as they drank their wine as if it was nothing.

"Yeah, Lady Opeli." Soren took a deep sip from his own goblet. "We're just partaking in Evenerian culture, its what this trip is about isn't it?" The smugness in Sorens voice made it clear how much he was enjoying throwing Opelis words into her face.

"Of course..." Opeli replied, her voice sweet but clearly unhappy.

From there the dinner became more pleasant, whether it was from an improvement in the conversation or the wine Callum couldn't say. He drank two more goblets by the time the dessert was served. The dessert was jellied eels, pudding, and a strange type of custard. Callum pretended to take a bite out of each but in truth, he knew if he tasted the jellied eels he would throw up. He did pocket several pieces of bread from the feast, intent on eating them as a midnight snack. This Evenere fare was decent but at heart, he was still a Katolian boy and he needed bread.

As it drew close to midnight the feast was winding down. Claudia had already turned in for the night, Soren had drunk too much wine and looked like he was about to pass out as he rested his head on the table, and Opeli had drunk a bit too much herself and had a guard help her to bed. With things calming down Callum thanked his hosts for the wonderful evening and politely dismissed himself from the feasting hall. He practically glided across the hall as he headed back to his room, despite several awkward moments during the feast everything had gone well. Either that or he had drunk more wine then he thought.

"Are you alright Your Grace?'

Callum turned and saw Corvus standing behind him, his usual serious expression plastered on his dark face. "I'm fine Corvus..." Callum let out a very un-prince like burp. "I just feel very happy with how the evening went..."

"You're drunk..."

"I had three goblets of wine, it was watered down and mixed with honey."

"You're nine years old...I doubt your liver can handle even that much."

"In a little under two months, I'll be ten." Callum corrected diligently. "Also I've been told I'm tall for my age. Five-foot two inches last time I checked...might be even taller now..."

"Regardless I should probably help you to your room."

"Forget that." Callum didn't want to go into his stuffy room right now. "I'm going for a walk through the gardens, get some fresh air. My room can wait." The last thing he wanted to see was his teacher's smug face.

_'I bet he's upstairs ruining my wardrobe or doing something equally annoying.'_

* * *

"So tacky..." Aaravos muttered as he hefted up a silver chamberpot decorated with emeralds. "Why would you even need a chamberpot when there's a privy a few feet away? And why make it silver? It's not like it would make your shit smell any better..." He tossed it into the corner of the room, the silver could be melted down for magical reagents anyway.

"Are those curtains seafoam green?" Aaravos wondered as he looked at the curtains that adorned the windows of the room. He grabbed them and ripped them off the wall and threw them into the hearth where they began to burn."What the hell is wrong with these humans?! With a taste like this, I regret helping them. Should have let Sol Regem burn them all up. Would have saved my eyes from this interior design nightmare..."

* * *

"Want to take a dip Corvus?" Callum asked as he sat next to a large koi pond, the pond was a perfect circle, like a full moon. Yet it had a large metal gate at the fat end, the bars were close enough so that no fish could escape but brackish water from the lagoon could flow in.

"No, and I dont think you should either, you might not be drunk but you definitely aren't completely sober..."

"I'm fine, and I'm not going for a swim at night, even on a full moon, that's dangerous." Callum reached down and began unlacing his shoes. They were fancy dress shoes that he rarely wore so they weren't properly broken in yet, they had been hurting his feet for most of the night. "I'm just going to soak my feet in the pond. Want to join me?"

"I'm good, I'll be stretching my legs and patrolling the garden, call me when you're ready to leave." Corvus bowed and walked through the shrubbery of the garden leaving Callum alone.

Callum finished removing his shoes and socks and allowed his feet to soak in the pond. He closed his eyes and let out a satisfied sigh as he felt the cold water ease the aches in his feet. Suddenly he felt something nip his toe, he looked down and saw several koi were swimming around his feet with one nipping at his big toe.

Callum laughed, not because it was all that funny but because he wanted to laugh. It made him wonder if he had a bit too much to drink. Seeing the fish in the water reminded him of his teacher back when they were arriving in Evenere, the man's fear of the ocean arcanum.

_'The fish know all the secrets. They know the cold. They know the dark.'_

Callum chuckled at those words as he looked down at the fish which was still nibbling his toes. "My master said you know all the secrets, mind sharing some with me? I promise not to tell." He joking said to the fish as he leaned down towards the water, the fish continued nibbling.

"Well I'm not tasty, you should try eating actual fish food." Callum looked at the koi more closely and saw it was unique among its own kind. Most of the fish were orange or white but the one that was nibbling at him was crimson and gold, the royal colors of Katolis. "You have Katolian colors, are you from my homeland?" The fish offered no answer and continued nipping at his toes. "One way to test it out, everyone in Katolis whether they be human or fish love bread."

He reached into his doublet and grabbed some of the bread he had swiped from the tables back at the feast. He broke off a bit and threw it into the water. The koi immediately abandoned nipping at Callum's toe and began greedily eating the bread. "Ah a true Katolian after all, no wonder we get along so well. Since we've broken bread together you should tell me about the secrets of the ocean. My master refuses to share them with me."

Thinking of his teacher made Callum reach into his trusty satchel and pulled out the Key of Aaravos, he never went anywhere without it. He remembered his teacher saying it could help one with meditation and connecting to the primal sources. He hefted the key and aimed it at the fish, the side with the symbol for ocean lit up and let out a blue glow.

"I'm convinced this thing is just a glow toy, aside from trapping his spirit in here he hasn't really used it for anything else..." Callum let the cube rest in his lap as he breathed in the salty night air. The moon was at its zenith, large, full and imposing. "I wish I could learn about the ocean or the moon...but I guess I'll have to wait."

"Oceani..." Callum muttered, remembering the Draconic word for ocean. He had been looking forward to learning about the ocean arcanum but it would seem that would have to wait. He closed his eyes and let himself relax, he listened to the water as it flowed around his feet, the sound of distant waves, the current from the lagoon blowing against his submerged feet...he felt like he was one with the ocean.

Suddenly he was falling, Callum opened his eyes but saw only darkness. Before he could even respond to the feeling of falling he landed in the water.

"What the heck!" The water he landed in was shallow, when he stood up it only covered his feet. Beneath the water was sand, he could feel his naked toes sink in it with each step. He looked around and realized he was no longer in Evenere, in fact, he wasn't sure where he was.

The sky was gray with no sun, stars, or moon and yet there was a dim light that seemed to illuminate everything, but where then the light was coming from he couldn't tell. Around him was nothing but infinite water, an ocean with no land in sight.

"Where am I?" Callum felt very much sober now, he no longer felt warm of giggly. In fact, he felt cold and terror gripped his heart like an icy hand. "Why is there no sun or stars here?"

_"There are no stars in the sky because there is no sky...You shouldn't be here...no one should be here..."_ A voice called out from nowhere and everywhere. Its owner was clearly female but there was something off about the voice, it seemed so familiar and yet so alien.

"Who are you?" Callum called out as he waded through the water, the sand beneath his toes was ice cold and he felt his toes going numb.

_"I was a young woman, then a mother, then a leader...what am I now?"_

That answered confused Callum more then anything else, if the voice wouldn't tell him who she was he would get other answers. "Where am I? What is this place?"

_"This place is the end of all things...and the beginning..."_

"Could you be more specific?" Mysterious disembodied voices were bad enough but one that spoke in riddles was even worse.

_"This is the place where those who practice magic draw their power. This place is their salvation...it is also their doom."_

Callum's eyes widened as he hefted the Key of Aaravos which was still clutched in his hands. What had his master said? That it would open his mind and test him? But why was this happening? All he was doing was relaxing by the ocean while holding the key and..."Oh crap...I guess relaxing is kind of like meditating isn't it?" He looked around. "Okay so if this is the ocean arcanum...where is the ocean?" He looked around and let out a tired sigh. "Hey disembodied voice lady, would you mind giving me a hint here? What am I supposed to do? My teacher was rather vague and I doubt he expected me to be here so soon."

_"The one who created that key is all things. Cradle songs of comfort, and the gnashing of teeth on bones. He is capable of great wonders...and great horrors as well."_

That was rather interesting, someone who knew about his teacher. Every historian and teacher back in Katolis claimed that aside from the Key there was no evidence or written record of Aaravos. His teacher claimed his people wiped him from the history books out of fear. "So you know my teacher? He's a sparkly guy, blue skin, six in a half feet tall with horns and a very high opinion of himself."

_"He will never lie to you and will always give you what you ask for, but is it truly what you desire? Events that have been set in motion...there will be consequences. The Midnight Stars gifts come with a price. You won't know it until its already been paid."_

"What?" Callum didn't understand. "He's my teacher, there is no price, he's never asked me for anything."

_"He views you as...so much. First, you were a pawn, then a knight, now you are something more to him. You remind him of a time when he was young and powerless against the world...a time when he was naive, a time that history has long since forgotten. He wants to create a painting with you, a masterpiece, he will entitle it 'The World As It Should Be.' Such a beautiful vision, yet it has such a high cost."_

"What are you talking about?" Callum was sick of all these riddles, he hated riddles. "Just help me get out of here, I dont want to be here. And who the hell are you anyway?"

"It has been so long...but do you really not know me?"

Callum turned around and felt his body freeze. Across from him was his mother, she was dressed in her queenly raiment. A million explanations for why she was here ran through his mind, it had to be a magical illusion, a deception, or maybe he was going insane. Yet in the end, it didn't matter, he ran towards her and hugged her with all his strength.

"It's you..." He didn't even try to hold back the tears as he embraced her. "It's really you..."

"It is...my son." Sarai murmured happily, her voice was soft and sweet.

"Why are you here?" Callum reluctantly released his grip so he could look her in the eys, those warm brown eyes that he had almost forgotten after so long. She even smelled the same way that she did when she was alive. The smell of metal and leather clung to her like a perfume.

"You gave me to the ocean."

"What?" That didn't make any sense, they had burned her body and threw her ashes into the… "We threw your ashes into a lake, it wasn't-"

"All water is bound to the ocean, whether it be rivers or lakes." His mother replied sadly. "I should have left this world but something holds me here still...something that didn't burn..." She looked into the water next to them, Callum followed her gaze and saw something glowing beneath the surface of the water.

Callum reached in and grabbed the glowing object, he pulled it out of the water and saw that it was a bone, small and white it fits easily in the palm of his hand. He wasn't an expert on bones but it looked like a finger joint. "Its a bone..." Why was he holding a bone? Did that mean…

"Sometimes little pieces of ourselves can linger on even when the rest has departed," Sarai answered sadly. "Is it a blessing or a curse to linger on long past your time? I want nothing more then to rest...but seeing you again makes it all worth it.."

"I can bring you back." Callum held onto her hand, refusing to let go. "My teacher...he will know a way to save you. He managed to do it himself. We can bring back your spirit and I can make a painted body for you and-" He was silenced by his mother putting a finger on his lips as she sadly shook her head.

"Most of me has left already...I will never again walk in the sun, I will never again hold Ezran...I know this now..."

"No..." He wouldn't let her go, he wouldn't lose her a second time. "I will find a way...I promise..." He couldn't lose her, not again. "Not again...not after the last time. You left and never returned..."

"I remember the last time I saw you...in the castle courtyard. You begged me not to go..."

"You promised you would come back, Harrow promised he would protect you...then you were murdered...all Harrow brought back was a corpse, Thunder murdered you."

"The one who killed me held no hatred in his heart, I was merely in the way. I knew it was wrong to kill the titan...yet I did so anyway. I merely reaped what I sowed..."

Callum shook his head, not believing what he was hearing. "Thunder murdered you! He crushed your body and zapped you with his lighting breath. They had to have a closed casket funeral...I never got to say goodbye..."

Sarai wrapped him up in a hug, a deep one. He could taste the tears as they ran down his face.

"Dont hate the one who killed me, my son, let that hatred go. Dont hate Thunder and dont hate Harrow, I chose to go of my own free will." She hugged him tighter. "My death turned Harrow's heart into a crater and he has filled it with dark things, dont follow his example. Dont let the horrors of the world taint your heart. For Ezran's sake...please...show him and Harrow that there is another path."

"Another path?"

"Its a cycle...elf kills human and human kills elf. Every reprisal is itself an act of aggression, and every act of aggression is met with immediate reprisal. You must show them that there is another way."

"How?"

"I dont know...but I know you will find a way, you are your father's son after all..." She smiled sadly. "My only regret is not being able to see what you will become. The path you are following is a hard one. You travel a dark road in the dead of the night but you will not be alone. The scorn of the moon will be your sword in the darkness and your shield against the horrors that would harm you, and at the end of your road you shall both greet the dawn together." Sarai shook her head. "I only wish I could see it when it happens...but it's meaningless to wish for the impossible, for now, I shall help you leave this place."

"We can both leave." Callum declared, he wasn't going to leave his mother spirit trapped in the ocean, or wherever the hell he was. "Just show me the way."

"This place is the source of the energy of the ocean, only by taking its power within yourself can you hope to leave," Sarai explained as she gestured to the water beneath them. "To go up you must go down, to be free you must swim."

"This water isn't deep enough to be an ocean." Callum looked at the shallow water beneath him. "How am I supposed to tap into the power of a three-inch deep puddle?"

"You have to drown." As those words left her lips Sarai began to melt into the ocean, her flesh turning into water as if she were made of paint that was dissolving in the rain. Callum reached for her but as he grabbed her his hand when straight through her as if she were water.

"No, no, no, no!" Callum tried to hold her but with each grasp, his hand passed through her. With each attempt to grab her she dissolved more until there was nothing left but the water beneath him. He grabbed at the water beneath him as if to drag his mother out yet he saw nothing but blackness beneath him. He could taste salt in his mouth from the fresh tears that flowed freely from his eyes. He had lost his mother a second time, and this time it was his fault.

Before he could scream out in frustration an oily black tentacle emerged from the water and wrapped itself around his throat. Callum wanted to scream but he couldn't even breath as the tentacle gripped his throat. He lashed out at it with his arms and it dissolved into oily black water. Before he could celebrate his victory several more tentacles rose from the water. Two wrapped themselves around each of his arms and another around his torso, he felt each of his feet get gripped as well.

Suddenly the sandy floor beneath him gave way and he was being dragged beneath the water. Instinctively he took a deep breath just as he went under the surface of the water and into the darkness below.

* * *

Aaravos finished reorganizing the furniture of the room to his liking when he felt a cold chill clench his heart. His painted body convulsed as he felt his spirit shudder. It had been a long time since he felt pain, yet this was not a pain of the body but of his soul. The only thing that could have caused this was if the Key that held his blood had been destroyed or if Callum was dying. His spirit was only able to stay in the mortal world thanks to his spirit being bound to Callum if the boy died he would be sent back into the Key.

"How is this happening?" He muttered as he felt another wave of pain course through him, it took all his power not to scream. The Key was practically indestructible, He had used the best materials when forging it and empowered it with his most powerful magic. So if it wasn't the key…

"My apprentice is in trouble..."

* * *

Down into the blackness he went. Callum saw shapes moving around him, massive things that defied belief. Despite the darkness, he could see all around him, as if his eyes were capable of peering into the darkness itself.

To his left he saw a pod of whales swimming by, they were massive with sharp teeth, many flippers hanging from their sides and strange barbels hanging from their maws. They sang as they swam, a beautiful song of sadness and beauty that would have made Callum weep if he wasn't so full of fear.

Deeper he went, the tentacles dragging him into the infinite blackness. He held his breath, refusing to let the water enter his lungs, yet he felt no need to breathe. He knew he could hold his breath for at most half a minute, and yet it seemed like he had been dragged beneath the water for several minutes, yet he felt no shortage of air in his lungs.

Other things passed his vision, schools of fish that glowed in the darkness with bioluminescent scales, and larger things just outside his vision. He saw leviathans of all kinds, some were like giant snakes with terrible maws and eyes as black as polished onyx, others looked like dragons only their wings were fins and their tails were replaced with tentacles too numerous to count, each one of the leviathans was larger then a galleon, easily being bigger then the Sweet Sarai. He saw a giant Kraken with glowing white flesh and eyes as red as rubies that glowed in the darkness, its tentacles were infinite as it swam beneath him. Another creature with the body of a whale but the shell of a crab with numerous claws sprouting from its body let out a mournful wale as if swam into the darkness below.

Each creature was more terrifying then the last and each made him want to scream, but he refused to since it would spell his doom if he allowed water to enter his mouth and his only breath of air to leave his body. Yet he could see them all, their dark eyes gazing upon him, Callum had been afraid before but now he knew what true terror was.

Finally, the tentacles released him and he was left floating in the middle of the black ocean. All around him and beneath him were creatures of indescribable horror. All of them beyond his power, or anyone's power to fight. He wanted to swim for the surface but he couldn't. Callum wasn't sure if it was fear or the weight of the water above him but his body refused to move.

He closed his eyes, wishing for all this horror to end, and when he opened them he saw a very familiar koi fish in front of him, floating in the water, its large fish eyes staring at him. Its gold and red scales marked it as the one he had seen in the pond earlier.

" **Something wrong land dweller?"** The fish in front of him asked, almost making Callum let out his one precious breath of air he had in his lungs. The koi's mouth didn't move but Callum knew it was speaking to him, its voice was deep and terrifying.

_'How...what is going on?'_ Callum thought as he tried to understand what was going on. _'How is a fish-'_

" **-** **t** **alking to me?"** The fish finished his sentence for him **. "The ocean tells me your thoughts, I can hear them in the water around you..."**

Suddenly he remembered his master's words from the other day, the very words he was making fun of earlier. _'The fish know all the secrets. They know the cold. They know the dark. In the deepest depths of the ocean-'_

" **-even light must die."** The fish finished Callum's thought for him again. **"Your master was right, we do know all the secrets. You should have listened to him, the ocean is a dangerous place** **and the strongest of the primal sources."**

_'The ocean is the strongest?'_ Callum's fear and astonishment was quickly being replaced by curiosity. He did his best to focus on the fish floating in front of him and not the infinite monster-infested darkness that surrounded him.

" **I'm biased of course but yes."** The fish answered in an almost coy voice. **"The sun rests during the night, the stars and moon rest during the day, the sky rests on calm** **windless days** **, and the earth is always inert and rarely shifts...but the ocean never rests. The currents move, the tide changes and waves always come crashing down. The ocean is tireless, it is from its waters that all life came to be. It** **s waters nourish and provide for all creatures of the world whether they be from the land or the sea."**

While Callum found what the mysterious demon fish was saying interesting, he still wanted to get out of here. _'Please let me leave, give me the power to leave this dark place.'_ he thought in an attempt to plead with the creature in front of him.

" **The power** **to escape** **is yours to seize."** The creature answered calmly. **"You need only to breathe, allow the ocean to grant you its strength."**

_'If I breathe, Ill drown...'_

" **Yes…"** The fish whispered, delight evident in its voice. **"You must embrace the ocean, allow its life-giving waters to enter your body. The ocean is a cold and dark place but it not the harsh darkness of the sky,** **it is not the all-consuming void** **, ours is peaceful darkness. Above the waves you land-dwellers cling to your warmth, your fires...but here we embrace the cold. Cold preserves while fire burns, you kill yourselves with your warmth. T** **he creatures around you are ancient because they have learned** **the secrets of the dark and cold. Embrace it and we shall teach you its power.** **"**

All around the leviathans watched him, they moved closer, their massive bodies soon surrounded him. Callum felt fear etch itself onto his heart once more, he was an ant among giants. Yet they made no move to harm him, their faces were terrifying and horrible, yet the monsters seemed more curious then threatening as they gazed at him with eyes that glowed in the terrible darkness.

" **The darkness of the depths will be your cloak, your shield, your mother's milk. The ocean will make you strong."**

Callum wanted to refuse, the idea of breathing in water was complete madness. He was half convinced this was all a dream, some sort of nightmare, a result of him drinking too much wine at the feast. Then he remembered his mother's words.

_'You have to drown.'_

Whether it was a dream or real he knew his mother would never lead him astray. He looked at the fish in front of him and at all the numerous sea creatures around him, the Kraken's, leviathans and other terrible horrors that he never imagined could possibly exist. He could feel their near-infinite eyes upon him, watching him expectantly.

Callum opened his mouth and allowed the ocean to flow in. He choked as his only gulp of air left his body, turning into bubbles that floated to the surface. Saltwater filled his mouth and lungs, his throat burned and the pain was so terrible that he let out a muffled scream that reverberated through the water around him. Water filled his lungs and his nose, burning his mind and body as his screams traveled through the water.

" **Good..."** He heard the fish whisper. **"Drink deep the blessing of the ocean, fill your lungs with its lifegiving waters, that you may die and be reborn. After all...what is dead may never die, but rises again, harder and stronger then before."**

Callum barely heard the words, his vision began to blur and the mass of leviathans and other horrors surrounding him seemed to fade away….then he felt it. He could feel the current around him, the cold of the ocean lighting all his nerves and making them come to life, even the water in his lungs no longer made him struggle. The blood in his veins flowed like a river, giving him strength when before there was a weakness.

He understood now as he gazed into the heart of the ocean, the tides, currents, and the cold.

**"You see the truth..."** The voice whispered once more in smug satisfaction. **"Arise Callum! Arise as a Prince of the Sea!"**

He could feel the water around him growing colder and darker, darker then anything he could ever have imagined. But instead of fear, he felt joy, joy at the power that was flowing into him.

He didn't fight it, he instead embraced all it had to offer.

* * *

Aaravos found his apprentice by the pool of water in the palace gardens. His feet were in the water, while his body lay splayed out on the ground.

Aaravos had abandoned his painted body, afraid of someone seeing him so he came as a spirit. But now he regretted leaving the body behind after seeing the state his apprentice was in.

Callum was pale, pale like a corpse. His incorporeal form couldn't feel but he knew the boy was most likely freezing. Seeing him in this state, next to the ocean with his Key clutched in his pale hands made him realize what the boy had done.

"You fool!" He yelled, not afraid of raising his voice. As a spirit, no mortal could see or hear him except Callum who was unconscious. "What have you done to yourself?"

Callum offered no answer, he knew the boy wasn't dead if he died then his spirit would have already faded from the world. But it was clear that the boy's life was fading quickly. He was about to run back to the room and get his painted body but suddenly Callum let out a rasping breath and threw up water all over the cobbled ground of the gardens.

_'Seawater..'_ Aaravos thought grimly, the boy's clothes were dry yet his lungs were filled with water. He knew what that meant, he had actually done it…

Callum got up, vomited more seawater and coughing roughly.

"Apprentice..." Aaravos leaned down and saw his student's green eyes meet his own. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah..." Callum coughed up more seawater and groaned. "I'm good."

"Thank the stars..." Aaravos let out a sigh of relief...which was quickly replaced with boiling rage. "What the on earth were you thinking?!" He demanded as he paced around his apprentice. If he had a physical body he would throttle the boy so he decided to make up for it with a verbal lashing. "Of all the idiotic things! You could have gotten yourself killed! I've trained stubborn apprentices and I've trained idiot apprentices but I dont think I've ever been inflicted with a stubborn idiot before! I literally told you as we were sailing here that the ocean arcanum was dangerous, and what did you go and do!?"

"I connected to the ocean arcanum..."

"Indeed you did you stubborn fool! If you had experience with the other primal sources it would have been far easier and less detrimental to your safety! Its a miracle you didn't die!"

Callum sat on the ground cross-legged, not even phased by his teacher's verbal lashing. "Yeah...probably..."

His student's words merely stoked the flames of his rage more. "Is that all you have to say for yourself!?' He demanded. "You could have been killed, and your death would mean I would have been sealed once more in that infernal key for another thousand years. It's not just your own life you're putting at risk with your recklessness!"

"Yup...sorry about that..." Callum replied, exhaustion evident in his voice. "I actually think I might have died there for a second...I drowned..."

"People usually do when they try to connect to the ocean..." he remembered his own experience with the ocean arcanum. It made his anger fade a little. He doubted his student's experience was any better then his own. "At least you're alive...I've seen many perish doing what you just did. Did you manage to connect with the ocean enough to call upon its power?"

"I understand the ocean arcanum perfectly now." Callum got up and dusted himself off. "I also understand why you wanted me to learn it last. I think I both literally and figuratively jumped into the deep end of the pool on this one."

"You did indeed." Aaravos sighed, his student managed to both impress and infuriate him tonight. He was the only individual he knew who managed to connect to the ocean arcanum successfully as their first primal source. Not counting sea elves of course. "At least now you're training will be easier, compared to this the other primal sources will be a cakewalk."

"Good to know." Callum reached down and began putting his socks back on, before moving on to his shoes. "I discovered many things while connecting to the ocean, you and I need to have a serious talk about what I saw. But there is one thing I know for certain after tonight."

"And what is it that you know?" Aaravos asked curiously.

"I learned that I really, really, really, hate the ocean..."

Aaravos laughed, his anger completely gone and replaced with pure amusement. Once his laughter subsided he favored his apprentice with a smile.

"So do I."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Authors note
> 
> Really didn't expect to have this out as soon as I did, but I couldn't stop writing this chapter. I simply had so much fun challenging myself to describe strange locations and things.
> 
> Callums experience with the ocean arcanum is based on his season 2 spirit quest where he connects to the sky arcanum, but with my own twist on it. If you want to know where my inspiration came for it go on youtube and look up Azshara Warbringers...also subautica because the ocean leviathans in that game scare the crap out of me.
> 
> Also a lot of foreshadowing and symbolism here...most of it pretty obvious but I think I hid a few interesting things in some interesting places.
> 
> Not much else to say, this was probably the weirdest thing I have ever written.
> 
> Please comment and review, have a nice day.
> 
> Also, I hate the ocean...I think it's obvious from my writing here that it terrifies me.


	7. Chapter 7

"You know the rune and you know the word, so let us begin," Aaravos said as he gestured for Callum to begin.

Callum took in a deep breath as he looked at the reflective pool before him. They were in the Kings Tower gardens, a small enclosed garden only accessible by the tower he was staying in. It hands several chairs, benches, a fire pit, and most importantly a reflective pool with a small fountain in the middle that spewed out water from its middle. While not as extravagant as the other gardens in and around the palace it was private which made it perfect for training.

Callum raised his right hand in front of him and began to trace the rune he had memorized from his teacher's books. As his finger traced the air magical energy was left in its wake, creating a shimmering blue rune that hovered in front of him. Once he finished drawing the rune he spoke the words of the spell.

"Flumen!" He called out and he felt his body quiver, like the blood in his veins, was coming to life, he watched as the water in the reflective pool before him rose up in the shape of a tentacle as it grasped at the air above it.

"Now direct it with your hands, one day you will be able to do it mentally but for now you must make it flow the way you want with your arms," Aaravos ordered.

Callum did as he was bid and shifted his right arm to the left and the water shifted with him.

"That's it." Aaravos nodded. "It's like a dance, bend the water to your will, make it flow. The more smooth and precise your movements are the better it will follow your commands."

Callum moved his arms as if he were dancing and the water in front of him responded in kind, flowing up, down, sideways, and doing all manner of twists and turns.

"Now use it to attack."

"What am I supposed to attack?" Callum asked as he looked around the garden, he didn't exactly want to make a mess of his hosts home.

"That stupid rock garden, it has a boulder which would make an excellent target." Aaravos pointed to the far side of the garden where a large boulder sat in the middle of a rock garden.

Callum willed the water towards the boulder and it shot out like a giant serpent and struck the boulder dead center, making the enormous rock quiver. With the water dissapated he allowed his arms to dropped to his side as he let out a tired breath.

"Excellent job my apprentice, if we had been using water from the ocean or a river the primal energy would have been much greater. You might have been able to split the boulder in half." Aaravos walked up alongside him. "You might be ready to start stringing words together for even stronger spells."

"Stringing words together? You mean like a sentence?" Callum asked, not sure what his teacher was getting at.

"Sort of like a sentence." He agreed. "All magic words are in the dragon language, although the language predates their existence." Aaravos put forward. "The words of the dragon tongue are linked to the very essence of the universe and as such by speaking it we can manipulate the natural world around us. For example, the words you just used 'Flumen', means flowing water, or to flow in relation to a river or current. By using the words 'Flumen' you can make water flow the way you want it to, but if you were to add another word to the spell it could have drastically different effects."

"So the more draconic words the use the stronger the spell?"

"Kind of, I wouldn't say its always stronger but you can make your magic do more versatile things," Aaravos explained. "For example, if I wanted to use sky magic I would use the word 'Aspiro' which means 'blow upon' which would allow me to create a powerful gale of wind using only my breathing. But if I added the word 'Frigis' which means 'cold' the spell would take on a new effect. By using 'Aspiro Frigis' together rather then just a powerful breath of wind I would instead breathe out a frigid gale that would freeze my enemies."

Callum nodded as he absorbed the new information being presented to him. "So If I wanted to use freezing water then I would use...' Flumen Frigis' as my incantation? Saying it out loud makes me sound like a child trying to use curse words."

"Flumen Frigis would allow you to freeze the water and control it." Aaravos agreed. "However it's up to you to decide what form the water is in when it freezes and how much of it you wish to freeze. If you morphed the water into a lance and froze it you would be able to have it hurl itself and impale enemies. However, a more versatile way to use it would be to turn the water into giant tentacles like that of a Kraken and only freeze the tentacles tip. That would allow you to morph the water freely while still jabbing at an enemy with an ice spike atop a versatile and flexible tentacle. You could also create a dome of water around you and freeze it to create an ice shield, or even cloak yourself in water to act as a type of armor and freeze it to withstand blows from your enemies."

It all sounded so cool that he wanted to learn how to do it all right now. "So how do I learn to do all that?" He asked imaptiently.

"When you've read the books on runes and the dragon language." He pointed back towards the Kings Tower. "All those boring books you've been putting off reading are essential for learning to be a proper mage. You need not read them entirely but at least read the parts that cover ocean runes and the draconic words related to the ocean."

Callum let out a tired groan. "Fine..." He agreed reluctantly, as much as he hated reading boring books it would be worth it if it allowed him to perform the types of magic his teacher had been talking about. "But first let's get some breakfast."

Aaravos rolled his eyes. "By that you mean you're going to get breakfast while I get to watch you chew as I miserably remember how good it used to be to eat food."

"Maybe you should have thought about all that before sealing yourself into a cube," Callum replied as he walked back into the Kings Tower. He went into the common room and found Corvus sitting down eating a traditional Everneiran breakfast consisting of rice, eggs, and sausage. "When you're done eating could you have some of the servants bring me up some breakfast? I'll be eating in my studies today. I dont care what it is but make sure there's a lot of food, I'm really hungry."

"As you command Your Majesty." Corvus nodded as he got up to follow Callum's command.

Callum climbed the steps of the tower until he reached his room. He walked over to one of the many bookshelves and grabbed the books which detailed the dragon language and draconic runes. He set them on the table and began to read the book on the dragon language.

"This is boring." He found himself muttering after a few minutes. "Can't you just teach me the spells as we cast them?"

"I swear you have the attention span of a goldfish," Aaravos muttered. "And no, you will learn the proper way. Although if you want to do something more interesting you could tell me exactly what it is you saw when you connected to the ocean arcanum. The experience is unique for each person."

Callum felt a fair bit of nervous energy flow through his body. He had been deliberately trying to avoid talking to his master about what he had seen. He wasn't sure if any of it had been real, he remembered his mother, the terror he felt in the deep sea surrounded by monsters. He remembered his mother's words from the previous night.

_'The Midnight Stars gifts come with a price. You won't know it until its already been paid.'_

It was those words that made him cautious. She had claimed that his teacher's gifts came with a price. Yet she also claimed he would never lie to him. It was all so damn confusing. If he was evil or meant him any harm she would have told him plainly right? It would have been easy for her to say _'By the way Callum, your magical instructor is evil and eats babies.'_ Instead, all she had done was say a bunch of cryptic stuff that made his head hurt. Not to mention he had been so happy when he saw his mother that he was pretty sure he forgot half the stuff she had said earlier back when she was nothing but a creepy disembodied voice.

He knew he could try asking his teacher about it. He knew from his teacher's lessons on the elven people that Startouch elves couldn't lie if they did their powers would fade. It was a side effect of having been born with the energy of the star primal, a primal which was the very essence of truth and divination. If he couldn't lie that mean that all Callum had to do was ask the right questions.

"You alright there?"

Callum was dragged out of his thoughts by his teacher waving a spectral hand in front of him. "Sorry." Callum apologized quickly, fumbling for an excuse. "I saw some strange stuff when I connected to the ocean, I'm still trying to find the right words..." Not a complete lie but not a complete truth either.

"Take your time." Aaravos soothed in a calming voice that put Callum at ease. "I know such things can be traumatic, especially the ocean arcanum. There is a reason I wanted you to experience it last."

"Was what I saw real?" Callum asked not sure whether he really wanted to know the answer to the question.

"That depends….what is realty? Is it-"

"Dont do that," Callum interjected impatiently. "Dont answer a question with a question like you usually do. I want the truth."

Rather then be offended by Callum's words Aaravos merely smiled. "I seem to recall once telling you that people often hunger for the truth but complain about its taste when it is served to them." He chuckled. "In this case, the truth is rather difficult. The Key I gave you allowed you to connect to the ocean primal by sending your spirit to a place of great primal energy while your body stayed behind. In such places, there is no sharp distinction between the real and the unreal. Reality itself blurs in such places of power as your spirit is stretched to its very limit as it takes the energy of the primal within it."

"That didn't answer my question...nor did it make much sense."

"Exactly." Aaravos nodded. "Most things with magic are like that, they are difficult for even the greatest minds to comprehend. Your spirit, your very soul, touched the ocean primal itself and now a bit of it dwells within you. All magical creatures like elves are born with a piece of a primal within them, it makes them who they are. Yet elves who wish to gain the ability to be more then what they were born as must touch the other primal the way you did last night. Such experience means your mind was stretched to its limits, showing you things that were there but also all that you brought with you."

"I think I understand...but the things I saw...was it real or a dream?"

"Just because something is a dream does that make it not real?"

"You're doing that thing again with answering a question with a question."

"Sorry," Aaravos answered sincerely. "When discussing the higher mysteries of primal magic its hard to not speak in irritating and vague metaphors. My best answer is that everything you saw was real, but also false. It's like numerous people looking at numerous reflections through different lenses and each seeing something different, each with a unique experience. Yet all of its true, even the falsehoods. Especially the falsehoods. But if you tell me about what you saw I might be able to help you make some sense of it all."

Callum decided to tell his teacher about what he experienced and soon the words came pouring out of his mouth like a river. He told his teacher about his mother but left out the bits about her vague statements about him. He also told his teacher about his experience with the leviathans and other terrible creatures he saw. He also mentioned the talking koi fish despite it making him sound like a lunatic. All the while Aaravos listened silently while occasionally nodding his head.

"Fascinating..." Aaravos muttered after Callum had finished his story. "I see now why you are so distraught...your mother..."

"Was it really her?" Callum asked, not sure whether he wanted a positive or negative answer.

"It's possible." Aaravos nodded thoughtfully. "You said she showed you a bone?" Callum nodded which made Aaravos let out a tired sigh. "Most elves agree that when we die our souls are reincarnated into a new body, perhaps even a new form entirely. Its why cremation is the main form of burial in Xadia, by burning the body it's believed that the soul is freed from its mortal shell so that it can return to the primal and be born again. But if the entire body isn't burned small bits of the soul can be left behind. In this case, since your mother wasn't burnt properly and her bone rests in a lake which is connected to the ocean...its very possible a small part of her spirit managed to reach out to you since your spirit was briefly touching the ocean arcanum."

"It was real..." Callum groaned sadly, thinking about his mother's fate. "So our soul is trapped in the body until the body deteriorates?" Callum had never heard of such a thing before, he never even questioned why cremation was the main method of laying the dead to rest. Yet if what his teacher was saying was true that would explain why humans burned their dead.

"In a way yes, its a field of study very few have researched," Aaravos explained. "For example, let's say the soul rests in the heart. Well, I can keep a heart beating with lighting magic forever if I wanted to. Does that mean the soul is now trapped forever? Is it truly unable to leave this mortal world to be born again? Some conventional knowledge says, yes. So that why it's so important to be thorough when burning a body, doing a poor job can result in a spirit being trapped here and suffering needlessly until it can finally be reborn."

"Is that all that awaits us? An endless cycle of rebirth?" Callum had never given much thought to the afterlife or whatever awaited beyond death. There were numerous religions in the world, none of them played a large part in his life. Reincarnation didn't sound so bad but it was far from his ideal fate. He kind of hoped for a type of heaven where he could be with his loved ones after he passed away.

"That's the most accepted belief among elves." Aaravos nodded thoughtfully. "Although different cultures and religions exist across the world, even among elf kind. Some Dragons and Sunfire elves believe that when we die we are given a body made out of fire so that we might fly across the sky beyond even the stars. Many elves of the ocean believe we will feast forever in a great hall beneath the waves with sea creatures to tend to our every want. Many Moonshadow elves believe that we go to a realm of perpetual twilight where dusk and dawn meet beneath a full moon and the colors run like water. Even my own kind, the Startouch elves believe our souls transcend to the night sky and we become a star, a guardian star to watch over the world and protect the sky from the darkness."

"Wow, so even the elves dont know..." Even elves had different beliefs about the afterlife, perhaps they weren't so different from humans after all. "What do you believe in? Do you believe in reincarnation? Or do you believe in heaven and hell?"

Aaravos smiled in amusement at his apprentice's question. "I believe in reincarnation, my studies into the soul support it." He chuckled. "Also I find your human belief in heaven and hell endlessly amusing."

Hearing that made Callum frown. "What's so amusing about heaven and hell? Dont you believe that there could be a place where the evil are punished and the good rewarded?"

"So naive..." Aaravos muttered. "My apprentice...one day you will understand how ludicrous such ideas are. If there is a heaven or hell then that would imply the existence of Gods, you need only look around to see that if there are Gods then they are either evil or so weak that they are inconsequential to existence. There is no heaven for the good and as for hell-" Aaravos turned to Callum, his golden eyes glowing in the sun. "The only hell is the one we live in now."

"Wow...you are a pessimist..."

"What makes you say that?" Aaravos asked with a mock hurt tone. "I think of myself as an optimist. The world is hell, and I want to turn it into heaven….well I want to make it better, heaven is a bit of a stretch, even for one of my abilities. Sadly my vision of a better world got me into the state I am now, bound to a human child. Yet I still keep chugging on, my eternal optimism transcending my physical form and into this spiritual one. Not even death can bring my spirit down."

Callum rolled his eyes, no matter what his treacher always found a way to compliment himself. "Your eternal optimism and wonderful pep talk about the afterlife aside...where does all of this leave my mother?"

"Assuming it really was her spirit and not a vision brought upon by your connection to the ocean primal?...she is not great." Aaravos shook his head. "Based on what I've heard from your experience a small part of her is trapped in this world and there isn't much we can do."

"How can you say that?" Callum asked, not believing what he was hearing. "I mean...your'e here arent you? Your body is most likely gone yet here you are, maybe we can do the same for my mother."

"It's not the same," Aaravos replied thoughtfully. "I intentionally bound my soul to this world. I used the key as a phylactery and sealed by blood into it, using my blood as a new host for my immortal soul. Even then I was unable to interact with this world until you added your own blood to the key, thus allowing me to tether myself to you so that my spirit could walk this world again. Whereas with your mother it seems a small bit of her latched onto a piece of her body that wasn't burnt. Many wraiths and spirits latch themselves onto an old piece of themselves or an item of sentimental value that they possessed in life. Although it takes an incredible amount of willpower to do such a thing."

"My mother was always strong, both in body and spirit." Callum let out a sigh as he realized what this meant. "That means there's a part of her lingering in the lake back home. When we return to Katolis I can go looking for it and-"

"-And what?" Aaravos crossed his arms. "Do you intend to try to bring her back? That pretty much never ends well, necromancy is something even I find a bit distasteful due to the risks involved. Besides the way you described her it seems like most of her has returned to the primal already. In a few years, the bone will most likely dissolve and she can fully return to the primal and be born again."

"Is there really nothing you can do?" Callum felt like he had been punched in the stomach, he had seen his mother last night yet now his dreams of bringing her back seemed so out of reach. "If I could make a living painting of her, maybe she could latch onto it the way you can."

"There isn't enough of her left for something like that to be possible." Aaravos shook his head. "At most, if we found the bone I could turn it into a bone charm using some rune-crafting. It would allow you to speak with what little remains of her. But so long as the bone exists she will never be able to return to the primal. She will be stuck between life and death, a fate that few could endure. The merciful thing would be to find the bone and burn it, and allow her to find peace."

Callum didn't know what he wanted to do, letting her be reborn would be the right thing to do and yet...he wanted to speak to her again, to see her face once more. Would it really be so bad? Maybe she would want to linger in this world a bit longer and speak to Ezran? Callum didn't like this line of thinking and decided to shove it away from his mind for the time being. "Let's not worry about my mother for now. It's not like we can anything until we return home to Katolis." Callum wanted to change the subject before he got more emotional then he already was. "So let's move on to the rest of what I saw. Was I really in the ocean? It felt so real, and those leviathans...I never knew such creatures could exist. Also what was up with that talking fish? I'm terrified to even go down to palace gardens since the koi pond is there."

"As I mentioned before, the lines between the real and unreal become blurred when your spirit is sent to a place of great primal energy. In fact, that vision of your mother might have been completely false, merely a result of your memories of her touching the primal and giving birth to a vision of her." Aaravos explained. "But the leviathans...they are close to the ocean primal so it's very possible that they were real. They dwell deep beneath the ocean's surface where the ocean arcanum is strongest. It's very possible that they saw your spirit connecting to the ocean arcanum and came over to investigate. You're probably the first human in centuries if not longer to connect to the ocean. They probably found you interesting."

"And the talking koi fish?"

Aaravos's expression turned thoughtful. "Most likely a hallucination but its also possible it was a leviathan speaking to you." Seeing Callum look of confusion he decided to elaborate. "Leviathans have difficulty speaking to other species. They mostly communicate through songs, so when they speak to beings like us they tend to communicate telepathically by sending us visions. The koi fish was most likely a projection one of them was using to speak to you to avoid frightening you."

"Well, it didn't work," Callum grumbled, remembering how terrified he had been. The creatures around him and that fish's voice still made his blood run cold. "Leviathans are terrifying. Some looked like giant snakes, others looked like ocean dragons...not to mention the Krakens."

"They can be frightening, which is why that koi fish you saw was most likely an attempt to calm you. I do find it funny that it was a koi fish of all things that appeared to you." Aaravos sighed wistfully. "It reminds me of a story my mother told me when I was as young as you are now."

In truth, Callum didn't really care about hearing a story, but it would be a good distraction from thinking about his mother and he was interested in hearing anything about his teacher's past. "What kind of story?" he asked, hoping to learn more.

"Just the kind you tell your children before bed," Aaravos replied. "The story was based on old eleven myths, the type meant to teach children about the dangers of greed and being power-hungry. It was a story about a nation of Sunfire elves that attacks a tribe of Moonshadow and Ocean elves. The Sunfire elves try to destroy the source of the Moonshadow elves and ocean elves' power, two primal spirits that take the physical form of harmless koi fish swimming in a pond. It's up to a heroic Skywing elf and his companions to stop them as the Skywing elf tries to become an archmage and learn all the primal sources-actually I should probably start from the beginning of the story. This is like me jumping in the middle. " Aaravos cleared his spectral throat. "Long ago in ancient Xadia the six nations of elves lived in harmony...then everything changed when the Sunfire nation attacked and-" " Aaravos's story was cut off by several servants entering the room each carrying a large silver tray filled with food. "-maybe I'll tell you the story some other time. Not the type of story that's good for breakfast conversation."

The servants set the food on a table in the corner of the room, a small breakfast nook before promptly leaving. Callum went over and began to dig in. "Thank goodness, I'm starving. I dont remember that last time I was thing hungry." The food was rice, fried seagull eggs, crocodile sausage, steamed fish, and ice-cold milk mixed with honey. It was as strange a breakfast as he ever had yet he ate up eagerly and savored it. It reminded him of a time when he was a child, his mother ha spent all day making him a birthday cake for his fourth birthday. He had starved himself the entire day so that he would be hungry enough to eat his mother's terrible cooking. The cake was somehow raw, burnt, and tasted bitter rather then sweet. Yet he had eaten the whole thing, it taught him that hunger was the best spice and the look of happiness on his mother's face was worth eating her terrible cooking.

"Chew with your mouth closed please," Aaravos complained as he watched Callum eat. "Human table manners leave a lot to be desired. Also, that food looks positively horrific."

"Hunger is the best spice," Callum replied as he swallowed another mouthful of sausage. "Also I'm crazy hungry right now, but also energetic. I feel like eating a ton of food and going for a jog around the palace."

"That's a side effect of connecting to an arcanum," Aaravos said as he uncrossed his arms to enter lecture mode. "When your spirit connects to an arcanum the way yours did last night it changes you. Not just mentally but physically as well. What you are feeling right now is the effects of connecting to the ocean. A small piece of the primal dwells within you now, a piece that you took into yourself when you accepted the power of the oceans. Do you remember how you felt when you were connected to the ocean?"

"I remember..." Callum recalled how he felt when he connected to the ocean, it was unlike anything he had ever felt before. "I felt cold, colder then I have ever been before yet I liked it. I felt tireless like I could run forever, and I felt my blood coursing through my veins like a river which made me feel stronger."

"Blood is water and it runs through your veins like a river," Aaravos explained. "The reason your feeling so good is because your blood circulation has improved. Your spirit connected to the ocean primal and as a result, it is having positive effects on your body. Your blood is carrying more oxygen and nutrients through your body at a much faster rate which is also speeding up your metabolism. Your heart is also pumping more efficiently which means there is more blood flow in general, which can have positive effects on your brain as well."

"So I'm like some kind of superhuman?" Callum looked himself over happily.

"No," Aaravos said which almost completely shot down Callum's enthusiasm. "It just means your body is more efficient, the primal merely unlocks the potential that has always been there. Potential that most people dont even bother trying to unlock. For example, after you connect to the sky arcanum your lungs will be stronger, you'll be able to hold your breath for longer, and you can breathe more efficiently at high altitudes that would make an average person pass out. It's why Skywing elves can fly so high without falling to their deaths at high altitudes."

It sounded so boring the way he was describing it but that didn't mean it wasn't neat. "It's still cool." Callum shoveled more food into his mouth as he contemplated his teacher's words. "Are there any downsides?" He asked as he shoveled more eggs and rice into his mouth to soothe his near bottomless hunger.

Aaravos grimaced. "One downside is that your increased metabolism means you'll need to eat more, which is probably why you're stuffing your face like a pig on that slop."

That didn't sound so bad so he chose to say as much. "It's not that bad as far as side effects go." Callum took another bite of sausage for added effect if having to eat more was considered a problem then it was a problem he was happy to have. "You're just jealous because I can actually eat food whereas you cant so ha!" he stuck his tongue out at his teacher.

"And here I thought facing the terrors of the ocean would make you more mature..." Aaravos grumbled.

Being reminded of the monsters he had seen made him shiver once more. "After seeing those things I understand why you fear the ocean." Callum shuddered at the memory. "They seemed so powerful..."

"There are worst things then leviathans in the depths...sleeping things...but I won't mention that, otherwise you might end up doing something even more foolish then what you did last night." Aaravos walked over to the window and gazed out of it, taking in the rising sun. "Well the past is the past, now we must look towards the future, specifically your training. When do you think we will be able to leave the palace?"

"Not sure." Callum shook his head sadly. "We just have to go along with whatever our host decides. Also, I should mention that the King has graciously offered to teach me how to water dance with Evenere swords. I dont suppose you know a way I can get out of this gracefully do you?"

"Nope, and even if I did I wouldn't tell you," Aaravos replied, a satisfied smirk on his face. "Consider your training with the King as a punishment for disobeying your teacher. Also, you could stand to learn how to hold a sword properly, in fact, I intend to teach you to a few fighting styles of my own."

It took all of Callum's resistance not to fling his now empty plate of food at his teacher's head. "Why would I need to learn how to use a sword? I'm going to be a mage, and what would you know about fighting?"

"Even a mage needs to be able to handle a weapon," he replied, which surprised Callum. Why would a mage need a weapon? Seeing Callum's confusion Aaravos began to explain. "In close-quarter combat, a mage needs to be able to fight like any person. Drawing runes takes the time that your enemies won't give you, there are shortcuts that can bypass the need for runes but even so, knowing how to be able to use a weapon can save your life. Also, you will most likely one day wield a magic staff to aid in channeling spells, a mage's staff can be as deadly as a sword if wielded correctly. I once crushed a man's skull with the blunt end of a mage's staff when he tried to interrupt me while spell-casting."

That was an image Callum didn't want in his head so he decided to conceded before his teacher stared bring up even more disturbing things. "Fine..." Callum grumbled, accepting his defeat. "I'll learn to water dance. Just saying it out loud makes me wince, what a strange name for a sword style."

"I think it a perfect fit." Aaravos smugly replied. "After all you did just tap into the ocean arcanum so a bit of water dancing won't be so hard for you. I doubt there will be any drowning or leviathans involved."

* * *

It took all of Claudia's self-control to not giggle as she watched her brother attempt to armor up Prince Callum as the three of them waited in the training yard of the Queen's palace. The room was large and circular in shape, the center was barren with marble floors allowing plenty of room to practice while the walls and corners were filled with weapon racks and training dummies for any person to use. Soren stood behind Callum and was trying to fasten the prince's breastplate on but it wouldn't fit no matter how much Soren tried tightening the leather belts.

"It won't fit!" Soren grumbled as he tried tightening it. "It's too small."

"I got this fitted by the castle smith a week before we left Katolis," Callum grunted as Soren once again tried tightening the metal breastplate. "I dont see how you hope to become a knight if you can't even put someone's armor on properly, even a squire should be able to do this. My little brother could do a better job then this and he's only five years old."

Claudia let out a tired sigh as she watched the boys as they attempted to get the armor on. In truth she could tell the armor was too small for Callum but she didn't want to ruin the entertainment she was getting watching them struggle. It had been years since the three of them had spent time together like this and she didn't want it to end. It had been a little over a week since they had arrived in Evenere and in that time they had barely gotten to spend any time together aside from eating meals in the dining hall. Soren spent his day's training, Claudia spent her time in the library, and Callum as ever spent his time locked away in his tower.

But today the three of them would be together, although in truth Claudia had no business being here. They were waiting for King Florent who had graciously made time to train both Callum and Soren in the water dance. She knew Soren was here to show off his master of Katolian combat styles rather then learn the water dance, which was no doubt doomed to fail.

In truth, she had no interest in fighting but she wanted to spend time with her friends.

There was also the fact that she was clutching a primal stone of sky and one of the ocean in either hand, the ones Callum had bought from the College of Enchanters. Since he would be training in combat today she asked if she could borrow the stones for the afternoon since Callum would be occupied. It took all her charm to wriggle the stone from Callum's grasp but he had conceded them to her in the end like she knew he would.

She gazed at the primal stone of the sky and saw it was identical to the one her father owned. A storm trapped inside of a ball, which made her quickly lose interest. She gently set it aside on the bench she was sitting on and instead gazed into the primal stone of the ocean.

It glowed a deep blue, she could see waves and water crashing inside of it. As if there was a tidal wave or whirlpool trapped within. It made her wonder if there was an entire ocean within the stone. Was it even possible for there to truly an entire ocean within the stone? One as big as any of the world's oceans? Would smashing the stone result in a massive flood? So many questions that she didn't know the answer to. It made her want to learn some ocean runes and spells to try it out.

"Ow!" Callum yelped as Soren accidentally dropped the breastplate making the front half fall onto Callum's foot. "Dont be so rough!"

"You're the one fidgeting!" Soren grumbled. "I dont even see what the point of this is, you're not that great with a longsword, I dont see how you'll be any better with an Evenere saber. I've seen you train, one would think your mother fathered you with a butcher with the way you swing a sword."

"My father is none of your business, and I'll have you know my mother was the greatest soldier in all of Katolis!" Callum pointed out. "She kicked the ass of everyone in the training yard, she even routinely beat Harrow when they sparred."

"It makes me wonder how she popped out such an uncoordinated son."

"If you want to bring family into this then fine! I have to wonder how Lord Viren fathered someone with the intelligence of a bloody sack of potatoes?" Callum asked. "It makes me wonder if your mother was a troll under a bride that he found on one of his trips through Xadia."

Claudia decided to put a stop to the impending argument before it got ugly. "Oh stop being children! Soren, you should know its impolite to insult someone's family." She turned to Callum. "Also my Prince, you should remember that Soren and I are siblings, I dont appreciate my mother being called a troll no matter my own thoughts on her."

"Sorry." Both Callum and Soren responded simultaneously.

"Apology accepted." Claudia sated as she set aside the ocean primal stone and walked up to them. "My brothers right Your Grace, your armor is too small for you." She could tell just by looking at her brother as he attempted to put the breastplate on.

"Please dont address me by title, not when it's just the three of us," Callum replied as he looked sadly at his breastplate. "I dont see how it doesn't fit, I just had it made."

"Maybe you got fat," Soren muttered which earned a glare from Callum but Claudia chose to ignore them and instead walked up close to Callum and inspected him. Once she was right up next to him she realized something.

"You're taller then me..." Claudia muttered when she realized that Callum was an inch taller then her despite her being two years his senior. "We were the same height not that long ago...I was looking you in the eyes as we sailed here." She looked him over and realized he seemed healthier in general. Callum had always been tall for his age, he was almost ten years old but was over five feet tall. His arms and legs were rather lanky which made him seem like a twig at times but as she looked closely at his limbs they were slightly less lanky then she remembered.

"She's right, I used to be much taller then you but now you're almost up to my nose," Soren muttered as he peered at Callum. "What's going on? Did you have one of those growthy spurty things overnight or something?"

"Maybe the Evenere climate agrees with me?" Callum chuckled nervously. "My uh...blood circulation has been really good since we came here and I feel healthier in general."

"Maybe..." Claudia knew people could have growth spurts but this seemed ridiculous. She wondered if perhaps all the different food they were eating had something to do with it? She knew fish was nutritious and most of the food here revolved around seafood which was packed full of healthy oils. But they had only been here a week...it didn't make sense.

Callum was clearly uncomfortable under the sibling's gaze and cleared his throat. "Well, you heard your sister," Callum said to Soren. "Your Prince is too big for his armor. Go to the palace smith and get the breastplate stretcher."

"I'm on it." Soren gave them both a thumbs up and ran off down the castle hall.

Claudia allowed herself to laugh once her brother was gone. "The breastplate stretcher?" She asked in between bouts of laughter.

"How long before he figures it out?" Callum asked as he allowed his own laughter to overtake him.

Claudia finished laughing and gave Callum a slightly reproachful look. "It was funny but you should be nicer to him, I know he teases you often but he means well."

"I know." Callum nodded. "I never had an older brother, I guess Sorens taken it upon himself to fill in the teasing aspect of an older brother."

"He really does." Claudia let out a wistful sigh. "He started teasing me and joking around after our mother left our father... He would do anything he could to make me laugh to get my mind off of it." She wanted to curse herself the second those words left her mouth. Thinking about her mother always made her sad or angry, or both.

She felt a comforting hand on her shoulder and looked up and saw Callum offering her a sad smile. "You okay?" he asked kindly which made her feel much better.

"Yeah...I'm just nervous." She let out a sigh to try and relieve some of the stress she was feeling. "Opeli says we might be here for maybe three months. After this, we are due to sail to Del Bar...where my mother lives."

"Are you going to meet with her?" Callum asked as he let his hand fall from her shoulder. "It has been a while, hasn't it? My memory is hazy but she left the court...two years ago?"

"Yeah, it was around two years ago," Claudia replied sadly. "Barely a peep from her since then, only a few letters and a birthday present whenever that time of the year comes around. I'm not even sure if she knows we're arriving unless my dad sent her a crow message. Not even sure if I want to see her..."

"I cant relate to your situation but...I think you should talk to her." Callum said in a voice etched with sadness. "She won't be around forever so you should try and have a relationship with her."

"She chose to leave," Claudia replied sharply. "I know dad isn't the easiest person to get along with but...to leave the kingdom entirely..."

"I know I just..." Callum trailed off, his tone was filled with sadness. "I would give anything to be able to speak with my mother again. I still dream of her...theres so much I want to stay, so much I want to ask. I thought she would be around forever and then she wasn't. I just dont want you to make the same mistake I did, I took her for granted and now she's gone."

Claudia was left speechless for a moment before mentally cursing herself for her own stupidity. Here she was complaining about her mother to a friend who had lost his. It made her want to cringe herself out of existence. Sadly she lacked the magical ability to do such a thing so she chose the only route left to her. "I'm sorry." She offered, it was all she could think of saying. "Here I am complaining about my mother and not wanting to see her when your mother is..."

"Its fine Claudia." Callum gave her a reassuring smile that put her heart at ease. "I just dont like it when you're sad. All that frowning will leave wrinkles on your face when you get older."

Claudia playfully smacked him on his arm as she chuckled at his words. "I miss this..." She found herself saying.

"Missed what?"

"This." Claudia gestured between the two of them, using her hands to emphasize her point. "It feels like its been ages since we just...talked and joked around. When we were younger we would play hide-and-seek, come-into-my-castle, and all sorts of games. I miss those days when we just had fun. I remember back when you would pick flowers and weave them into my hair like a crown. Then you and Soren would pretend that I was a princess and act like you were knights trying to rescue me from a dragon." She remembered that they managed to create a dragon by painting one of the King's horses red and using the paper machete to create fake wings. The stablemaster had chased them around the castle for an hour after he had discovered what the three of them had done to King Harrow's favorite horse.

"We aren't kids anymore..." Callum replied as he rubbed the back of his head in apparent embarrassment. "We all have duties, Soren with his swordsmanship, you with your studies, and me with my own magic."

Claudia knew he was right but that didn't mean she liked it. "That's because you're trying to learn an entirely new field of magic from scratch. Not to mention bankrupting yourself buying primal stones." She gestured towards the bench where the two stones were sitting. "If you weren't so stubborn and let me teach you some dark magic then you would find yourself with more free time."

"No." She saw Callum was doing his best to suppress a scowl. "I won't ever practice that type of magic."

She had had this argument so many times with him that she had to resist letting out a frustrated sigh. "Its perfectly natural, and I find it offensive that you think so lowly of something I'm so passionate about." Why couldn't he see the benefits of dark magic? Callum was a wonderful and openminded friend yet in this one area he was staunchly narrow-minded and prejudiced.

"Find it offensive if you want," Callum replied. "That type of magic comes at a cost, and you won't know it until its already been paid. You poison yourself with it and risk so much more."

Claudia rolled her eyes at her friend's statement, the boy could be so dramatic. "As long as it's used responsibly it's perfectly safe. Without dark magic humanity would fall behind so much, its with dark magic that we were able to raise ourselves up and create civilization. Whatever it's downsides the benefits are well worth it."

"It's an amazing trick that you do," Callum grumbled. "You move your lips and your father's voice comes out."

"Is my father wrong?" Claudia asked, not liking Callums insinuation one bit. "His magic has saved many lives."

"And condemned many others," Callum answered.

At that moment she knew he was speaking about his mother. She was walking on thin ice now, she didn't want to hurt her friend but at the same time, she didn't like it when others spoke ill of her father. "If you just let me teach you, then you would understand..." Why did he have to be so stubborn? "This is the only route humanity has forward."

"It's not the only route..." Callum looked up at her, his deep green eyes seemed to pierce her to her very core. "I will find another path forward, one that doesn't involve dark magic. My studies into blood magic have already proven that there are other paths."

"Your studies have shown that you can make living paintings." It was impressive but it wasn't exactly a route forward for humanity. "Human blood has its uses but you can't build a better world on it. At most, you can use it to bind constructs and magical items to yourself. Even your amazing painting ability is limited since you use your own life force rather then the life force of magical creatures."

"There are other things I'm working on besides just living paintings," Callum answered. "Unlike many others, I don t just stick to one discipline. That's the problem with dark magic, its a hammer and when all you have is a hammer then every problem becomes a nail to be pounded. By only focusing on one path forward you are limiting yourself. It's like gazing at a single tree and ignoring the forest around you." He shook his head. "How many alternatives are there that people aren't even bothering to look for? The blasting powder I brought to the world requires no magical creature parts to work, yet it works as well as the ancient Neolandia black powder. For over five hundred years all the best scholars and mages have tried to replicate the Neolandia black powder by grinding up magical creatures, poaching all of them from Xadia which resulted in the deaths of numerous humans and elves alike. Yet all it took to recreate the recipe was a few common non-magical elements. The world was so focused on dark magic being the answer that they didn't consider any alternatives."

Claudia was at a loss for words, her friend did have a point. However, there was something about the way he had said those words. He had mentioned that she parroted her father's words, which she did. Yet now it seemed as if he was parroting someone else's words, but she couldn't figure out whos. It didn't sound like Harrow nor did it sound like something Queen Sarai would say. "Well...that's one example." She offered although the words seemed weak even to her own ears. "Even if you advance the natural sciences that still doesn't change the fact that dark magic is the only type of magic an average human can use. We aren't born with a connection to the primal sources like elves are, it's impossible for us to cast spells without a primal stone. Primal magic is impossible for us to learn."

"Impossible is just a word used by the unimaginative who find it easier to live in the world that they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible isn't a fact, its an opinion. Impossible is a dare, that's meant to be challenged." He smirked at her. "Impossible is nothing to those who dare to try, even something like primal magic."

Although she knew he wasn't trying to insult her his words felt like they were a direct challenge. "So you think you can master primal magic without a primal stone?" She gestured tom the primal stones that were still sitting on the bench. "I would very much like to see that."

"Challenge accepted."

Claudias eyes widened at her friend's implication. "I was joking Callum, people have been trying for centuries to learn primal magic like the elves. No one, not even my father has succeeded."

"No one could create explosive powder for centuries either." He replied. "I enjoy challenges, especially when I get to prove those who doubt me wrong."

There was something in his tone that made Claudia suspicious. Like she was the butt of a joke she didn't understand. Yet before she could respond Soren came bursting back into the room.

"I found the breastplate stretcher!" Soren declared as he walked into the room holding a strange device in his hands triumphantly. "Can you believe there was only one left in the palace smithy?"

"What?" Claudia and Callum asked simultaneously.

* * *

Callum adjusted the now properly fitting breastplate as King Florent walked into the training room. He felt relief as the King entered since it would mean he didn't have to focus on Claudia, after their awkward conversation he was glad for the distraction. The King was no longer dressed courtly clothes or even the type of clothes one would wear for training. He instead wore a simple green silk shirt, black pants, and black boots. The type of clothes one would expect a person to wear while lounging around.

"Are you boys ready to learn the water dance?" Florent asked as he walked over to one of the weapon racks and grabbed a wooden training sword.

_'No.'_ Callum wanted to answer, he had been dreading this lesson over the last week. Yet instead of speaking honestly he found himself saying. "Yes, your majesty." along with Soren who was confident he could beat the king using Katolian swordsmanship.

"Do not call me your majesty, this isn't the court. No need to be so formal." Florent smiled as he grabbed another training sword from the rack and tossed it to Soren who deftly caught it. "Just call me Florent while its just us." He grabbed another sword from the training rack and tossed it to Callum.

Callum fumbled but somehow managed to grab the sword. It was a wooden sword built sleeker then the usual training swords he used in Katolis. Despite its slim design, it was surprisingly heavy and Callum had to put effort into holding it up with one arm. _'If Aaravos were here he would probably be laughing at me.'_ Instead his teacher was back in the tower reading, or doing heaven knows what. Though his teacher did claim that he was looking forward to seeing the bruises that Callum would earn during this training, no doubt so the elf could mock him later.

Florent looked the boys up and down and frowned. "Why are you both wearing armor?" He asked as he shook his head disapprovingly.

Callum didn't understand, the armor was always worn when training in swordsmanship. "Because we're training?" He offered, not sure what the king was talking about.

Florent laughed as if it was the funniest thing he had ever heard. Before Either Callum or Soren could ask what was so funny the man explained the reason for his mirth.

"This is not swordsmanship of the Katolian Warrior, or the Duren Knight, or the Del Bar Berserker, or even the Neolandian Spearman." Florent chided lightly with a chuckle. "This is the Water Dance. It is called so because one must learn to move smoothly like water, to dance around your opponents and turn their strength against them. In order to do that you must remove that armor, one cannot move lightly with such heavy plate weighing you down.." Florent pointed the sword at Soren and Callum.

Callum was about to ask Soren to help him remove his armor but instead, he saw Soren was chuckling as the older boy crossed his arms.

"With all due respect Florent." Soren began his tone sarcastic and teasing. "I'm not a dancer, nor do I want to be. I've been trained by the best swordsman in Katolis and I'm due to join the Crownguard in a few years. In all that time thick armor and a big sword have served me well, why should I learn how to dance like a swaggering duelist?"

Callum wanted to chide his friend for being so condescending to the King of another nation but rather then get angry Florent simply laughed, much to the surprise of Soren, Claudia and himself.

"You believe thick armor protects you." Florent shook his head, his blond curls flowing. "But all it does is weigh you down and make it hard for you to move, eating away at your stamina. As for your sword, the Katolian bastard sword it graceless like a cleaver, better suited for chopping meat then being used as a dueling sword."

Callum watched as Soren put the small wooden sword Florent had handed him back onto a training rack and grabbed a wooden bastard sword. "Sounds like a challenge." Soren declared as he took a few experimental swings with the blade. "So how about we have a spar? Me and my 'graceless' Katolian style against your swaggering Evenerian style."

"As you wish," Florent replied, his seemingly perpetual smile still gracing his lips as he got into a traditional dueling stance, his blade pointed forward with his body angled sideways to offer less of a target.

"This is going to be good." Callum heard Claudia say and he couldn't help but agree with her. While Soren was the most talented swordsman of his age in Katolis his opponent had decades more experience and was once the personal protector of Evenere's Queen.

"Let us begin." Florent declared, which prompted Soren to give out a battle cry as he charged forward with his sword aimed low, ready to throw his entire body weight into the strike. It was a familiar sight to Callum since he was often on the receiving end of such an attack when he spared with Soren. Oftentimes the older boy would tackle or punch his opponents using his strong body as a battering ram to overpower anyone and everyone, he had seen Soren bring down men twice his age and size in the training yard of katolis castle with such an attack.

Florent was not those men and instead of returning the attack or bracing for it the slim man merely sidestepped Soren once the boy reached him, causing Soren to slash thin air and stumble which nearly caused him to faceplant into the ground. Somehow Soren managed to avoid that fate and maintained his footing, and immediately turned and charged once more at Florent.

Again and again, Soren swung his blade and again and again, Florent dodged. After several dodges, he began to deflect Soren's sword strikes. He didn't block them head-on but instead used his saber to misdirect them which often caused Soren to lose his balance. Callum wasn't sure how long this went on for but he saw that Soren was growing tired and his movements became sluggish. That's when Florent went on the offensive and began to poke and prod at the weak points in Soren's armor.

"You are dead." Florent declared with each jab he made. "Dead, dead, dead, that one would have gotten an artery if this was a real sword, so definitely dead."

Soren back away, his face flushed in obvious anger and embarrassment. "Those are just small jabs, how am I dead from those?" He asked angrily as he tried to regain his composure.

"If this were an Evenere saber the point would find its way through that simple single link chainmail." Florent tossed his blade lazily in the air before catching it. "This is the water dance, swift, and sudden. All men are made out of water. When you pierce them the water leaks out and they die."

Hearing that made Callum recall the ocean arcanum, how it made him realize the truth about his own body and how blood flowed like a river, delivering nutrients and oxygen to his body the way the currents of the ocean allowed all life in the world to flourish. He was suddenly slightly more interested in this lesson.

"This style is not about strength or power, you have to be fluid," Florent said. "It is about relaxing the body so it can react without resistance, moving like water and allowing the blade to find its mark each time. Water can take any form, it drifts without effort one moment and then pounds down in a torrent the very next."

_'Like the ocean.'_ Callum nodded, maybe he could find a use for this fighting style after all.

"Fine," Soren grunted. "Maybe the water dance isn't total bullshit."

"Nor is your fighting style. But you charge ahead without thinking. Conserve your energy and strike hard when the opportunity presents itself. Also, this is a duel, on the chaos of the battlefield your armor and style would serve you better then the water dance." Florent pointed out. "Ours is a naval country so we learned to fight on the decks of ships rather then a chaotic battlefield, so our style is suited to such engagements."

"I see your point..."

Florent nodded, accepting his symbolic victory. "Now the young prince." Florent turned to Callum and frowned. "Why do you still wear armor? Take it off unless you intend to try and show me the true strength of Katolian fighting like your friend here?"

Callum realized he was still dressed like a knight and began trying to take off his armor, but in the end, Soren had to help him undo the straps of the breastplate and greaves. Once the armor was gone he was left standing in a similar state of dress to the king, simple silk clothes.

Florent nodded happily once he saw that Callum was ready. "Are you left-handed or right-handed?" He asked as he gestured to the sword in Callum's left hand.

Before Callum could answer Claudia spoke up. "He's ambidextrous!." She called out as she resumed her previous place on the nearby bench and began inspecting the primal stones once more.

"Ah, that's good."

"Really?" Callum asked he was always able to use both his hands equally well whether it was drawing or writing. He never really saw it as that much of a big deal.

"Of course!" Florent declared loudly as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "It means you can fight with both hands equally well, if one arm ever gets injured you can always swap over to the other. You could also wield two swords at once effectively, though for now, we focus on one sword style." He pointed at the sword in his hand. "Move that to your left hand, for now, you will practice with your left hand only."

"Why my left?" He asked, although he did listen to the man and shifted the practice sword to his left hand.

"A swordsman is used to facing off against right-handed opponents since most people are right-handed," Florent explained diligently. "So if you use your left-hand everything is reversed, even the best swordsmen will have trouble adjusting their fighting style to compensate for the difference."

Callum nodded and took up a fighting stance with his left hand forward, clutching the blade. The practice sword was heavy and he had trouble holding up high as he should have. Florent took a few moments to adjust Callum's stance.

"More sideways," Florent ordered as he had Callum shift his stance. "More then that, you are skinny and lithe, which is good. It makes it harder for enemies to hit you because the target is smaller. Your arms are lanky and long which is also good, makes you have a longer reach then your opponent. Now for the grip." He peered at his left hand. "Too tight young prince, you must grip it delicately."

"What if I drop it?" Callum said.

"The sword must be a part of your arm." The King told him. "Can you drop a part of your arm? The answer is no. Alright, now that your grip is good we can begin."

Callum didn't know if he was any good at the water dance but he knew he was a lot better at it then his usual combat training back in Katolis. He wasn't sure if it was because he was more suited to the style of combat, or if it was Florent's teaching method, or if it was due to how much more energy he felt since connecting to the ocean arcanum. By the end, he figured it was a combination of all three.

They practiced for what felt like hours but it was probably only half an hour at most. Callum practiced striking while Florent defended and occasionally retaliated which made Callum have to block the incoming blows. It was a lesson in the basics but by the end, Callum was panting, sweating, and sporting several bruises from the times he failed to block. He wasn't sure if he was good but he hadn't dropped the sword or fallen over like he usually did when he tried practicing with a longsword while wearing plate mail.

"A bit rough but your reflexes are good." Florent nodded happily. "The potential is clearly there."

"I didn't even land a hit on you..." Callum grumbled, unable to see what was so great about his performance. His left arm felt like it was about to fall off after wielding the sword for so long.

"Nor did I expect you to on your first day, you must keep practicing until the sword becomes an extension of your arm." Florent took Callum's practice blade and threw it to Soren who had been observing the training silently. "For now the prince should rest, while I try to train this bullheaded Katolian boy." he gestured towards Soren who had caught the wooden sword and was giving it a few experimental practice swings.

"If Callum can somehow manage to be decent at this in one go then I'm going to master it!" Soren declared confidently as he held up the training sword.

While Florent and Soren began sparring Callum sat on the bench next to Claudia who set aside the primal stones she had been observing this entire time.

"You were actually really good at that." Claudia put forward happily as she offered Callum a small smile. "Looks like you've finally found a fighting style that suits you."

"I guess I did." Callum tried to rub the back of his head but let out a pained wince as he felt pain got through his entire left arm. "I am going to be feeling that in the morning..."

"Not as much as Soren is going to." Claudia pointed at Soren who had just been leg-sweep by Florent which caused the young man to fall face-first onto the ground. "My brother is good at fighting but I dont think this type of fighting style is for him. You were doing far better then he is right now." Her statement turned out to be true because after only fifteen minutes Soren was sporting numerous bruises and was soaked in sweat, marking as far worse for wear then Callum had been.

"You must both practice every day," Florent said as he put away the training swords. "Work on your forms and reflexes. We will have a few more lessons in the coming weeks. Enough to instill the basics in you. Now go and soak those bruises in a hot bath."

Soren and Callum both eagerly obeyed the king's advice and as they walked towards their room Claudia walked ahead of them.

"So that was the water dance," Claudia said as she slowed her pace so that she was alongside her friends. "I might consider taking it up myself in case I ever find myself without the ability to do magic. " She pulled out the two primal stones she had and gave them back to Callum. "Although with a primal stone using a blade is impossible, so maybe it's for the best I dont learn swords fighting. You need one hand to clutch the stone and one free to draw runes."

_'I can do both.'_ Callum thought happily, with one hand he could use a sword and the other he could draw runes since he didn't need a primal stone for ocean magic. However, if he wasn't near a body of water or some other source of water his ability to use magic was limited to the primal stones. A thought that soured his mood as he separated from his friends and trudged up to his bedroom in the Kings Tower.

As he walked up the tower he saw Corvus lounging in the common room. "have the servants draw me a bath." He ordered as he trudged past Corvus who nodded and went off to fulfill Callum's command. The long walk up several stories also soured his mood. He went into his room and collapsed into the nearest chair, while his teacher was sitting across from him reading a book.

"I'm having the servants draw me a bath so you'll have to leave that painted body." Callum pointed out as he sank deeper into his seat and let out a tired sigh as his muscles cried out in relief at not having to be used.

"Rather cruel of you to make them haul water up these stairs." Aaravos pointed out as he put down the book he was reading and walked over to a nearby painting. He touched the painting and his painted body flowed back into it until it was back on the canvas.

Callum chuckled. "Well I feel like being a bit more spoiled today, my muscles hurt and I had a rather awkward conversation with Claudia." He hadn't meant to get so nippy with her but he couldn't help it, especially when she kept trying to force him to use dark magic.

"I'm guessing it was about dark magic." Aaravos put forward. "You really should be more open-minded. Dark magic used responsibly isn't so terrible. I practiced quite a bit of it myself when I was alive. The only reason I'm not teaching it to you is that you're so opposed to it. Although it might be for the best, humanity has become far too reliant on it. I never thought they would use it so much that primal magic would be completely forgotten by them as it has."

"Well I'm never using it nor will I ever learn it." Callum sighed. "I wish I could show her what I've learned. If she could be taught primal magic like how you've taught me then-"

"-then people would ask where you learned such knowledge which would put our little secret at risk." Aaravos interrupted. "When you are older, perhaps around sixteen you can reveal these abilities to the world at large and teach as many apprentices as you like. That's old enough time to dissuade most suspicion of you having a secret teacher. Until then I expect you to hide these abilities."

"More hiding and more secrets, as if I wasn't enough of an outsider." Callum crossed his arms as he sulked in his chair. "I'm putting the few friendships I have at risk with all these secrets."

"Then make new friends, why you chose to hang out with a dark sorceress and her bull-headed brother is beyond me," Aaravos complained. "The boy is an imbecile and the girl is crazy. I understand you have an infatuation with her but it will only end badly."

"It's not exactly easy for me to make friends." Callum pointed out, trying to reign in his anger at his teacher's words. "I'm too much of a commoner for nobles to ever accept me and I'm too much of a noble for commoners to accept me. I'm stuck between worlds. Soren and Claudia are the only people who accept me for who I am. Which is why I feel like crap since I spend most of my day lying to them as I try to hide a secret lifestyle from everyone around me."

Aaravos shook his head. "I swear you're only nine years old and already you have more teenaged angst then an edgy Moonshadow elf assassin." He grumbled. "Who cares if you dont have friends? I'm going to train you to be powerful, more powerful then any human in this new era. You will be a lion amongst sheep and a lion doesn't need the friendship of sheep."

Callum glared at his teacher. "When you first offered to take me as your apprentice I thought you would be a kindly wizard that would always give me sage advice, instead you give me this crappy advice about being a lone wolf or something. I half expect you to order me to run away from society and live alone in a dark tower."

"Not the worst idea you've ever had," Aaravos replied. "As for my bad advice….most of my apprentices were far older then you, I'm not used to dealing with these pre-pubescent problems of yours. At the end of the day go do what you feel is right in your heart or something, use some storybook advice cliché to figure this situation out."

"Between all this crap and your crappy advice I think I've hit rock bottom," Callum grumbled.

"While we're on the subject of rock bottom I went around the palace in my spirit form earlier and heard the Queen mentioning how she will be granting you and your friends more free time to tour the city," Aaravos said happily. "That means we can go clothes shopping. I have some wondrous ideas about a new wardrobe that I've been planning for you..."

Callum was already imagining the horrors of shopping for clothes with his master and it made him wish he was back in the ocean hanging out with the leviathans and other sea monsters.

"Just when I think I've hit rock bottom you go and throw me a shovel..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Authors note
> 
> Alright, I hope I explained how my view of magic works in this world. Ths show thus far hasn't given us much to work on as far as primal magic goes. The only magic we see is sky magic and some moon magic. So I had to make up my own stuff.
> 
> And yes the story Aaravos was going to tell was basically The Last Airbender with elves.
> 
> People are asking when Rayla will be a major part of the story and my answer is not for a while. There are three reasons for this.
> 
> 1-I dont want to force her into the story. It would be awkward.
> 
> 2-I dont feel confident in writing about Xadia or elven culture when we have seen so little of it.
> 
> 3-Season 3 will be heavily focused on Raylas past and her relationship with her parents. According to her voice actress Paula Burrows, Rayla will be going through some tough times. Paula claims she teared up after reading some of Raylas lines because they were so emotional. I want to see season 3 before writing anything involving Raylas past.
> 
> I'm still nervous about season 3 making my story make no sense so I've added the AU thing to the description.


	8. Chapter 8

Callum dreamed that his family was whole once more.

He stood on the docks of the Merling bay his feet hanging off the side of a fishing dock as Harrow sat next to him with his own feet in the water. In the bay Callum saw his mother teaching Ezran how to swim, his brother clutching onto his mother as the young boy refused to let go due to his fear of the water. Above them, the sky was blue and cloudless as the summer sun beat down upon them making the air and water around them warm beneath its rays.

"Dont let me go!" Ezran cried out as he clutched onto Sarais chest. "There's fish in the water that want to eat me. I can hear them!"

"Don't be silly." Sarai's voice rang out across the water's surface. "There's nothing to be afraid of Ezran, you're a bit old to be afraid of the water."

Callum laughed at his brother's fear of the water, only for Harrow to kick some water at him.

"You were just as scared once, you used to be terrified of the ocean," Harrow said as he allowed his feet to soak in the blue water of the bay.

Callum was about to shout some encouraging words to his brother when the dock beneath him suddenly let out a terrible groan as the wood gave way, causing him to fall through it and into the water. Water which had once been blue, pristine, and warm beneath the summer sun was now black and cold. He sank into its depths like an anchor until the light around him died, engulfed by the darkness.

Callum was once again surrounded by the darkness of the ocean. He swam deep beneath the waves where no light existed yet he could see perfectly.

"This is a dream." He found himself saying. Water filled his lungs yet it felt natural, he felt no need to breathe air, he was one with the ocean. A familiar koi fish floated in front of him, its crimson and gold scales shining in the darkness. "You again..."

**"Just because this is a dream does that make it not real?"** The fish asked, its eyes glowing. **"Although we do apologize for taking you from your pleasant dreams to this place."**

Callum didn't want an apology, he wanted an explanation. "So where exactly am I?" Callum looked around and saw dark figures moving in the waters around him. He tried his best to ignore them, but he knew what they truly were. The leviathans encircled him, their giant forms drifting just out of sight in the infinite darkness.

**"The ocean of course."** The fish answered, amusement evident in its dark voice. **"We wanted to give you a warning."**

"Why?" Callum remembered his teacher mentioning that the fish before him was most likely an illusion. "How do I even know you're real? My Master said you were most likely an illusion, and even if you were real why would you care about me? How am I even here?"

**"When you connected to the ocean arcanum a small piece of the ocean primal entered your body. It dwells there now, connecting you to the ocean...and by extension it connects you to us. From the ocean, you draw strength...Our ocean...Our strength..."**

That information was disturbing, "I was sleeping and dreaming...is this just another dream?"

**"Do you dream while you sleep? Or is it merely an escape from the horrors of reality? Do you dream of your family whole once more? Why delude yourself? Your father is gone, your stepfather dares not bond with you, your brother drifts farther away with every attempt to protect him...and you gave your mother to the ocean. Now you have another father...perhaps that's why you trust him despite the fact that deep in your heart you know what he is...why do you lie to yourself?"**

"Dont talk about my family! You know nothing!" Callum declared to the fish in front of him. "This is just a dream, that's how you know these things..."

**"We know many things, we know all the secrets."**

Those familiar words...his teacher had warned him about this. "Who the heck are you?" he looked at the fish in front of him suspiciously. "There's no way a koi fish has this much power...If you arent an illusion then you're a leviathan. Show yourself."

**"I use this mask for your benefit, but if it displeases you I can reveal my true form."**

The fish disappeared and instead, he saw what could only be described as a monster among Leviathans. It appeared to be a Kraken, with the tall body shaped like a squid. It was massive, its main body taller then the highest of Katolis's twin towers. Yet instead of the soft flesh of a squid, it was armored in rigid plates that looked like bone or the exoskeleton of a crab. Every bit of its body was armored from its main body to its tentacles, yet the natural armor did nothing to hinder its flexibility. The tentacles themselves were beyond count and seemed to stretch out infinitely in the waters around him. It had nine glowing eyes, eight small ones dotted around its body with one giant one that glowed red in the darkness. Its gaze was solely fixed upon him.

**"Is that better?"** The creature asked, its voice reverberating through the water.

Callum found himself strangely calm as he gazed before the monstrosity before him. Somehow knowing what it was was less frightening then not knowing. "Yes, at least I know what you are now." He answered. "So why are you here? There are tons of people with connections to the ocean primal you could bother. My master says there are numerous species of elf that are connected to the ocean, do you drag them here as well?"

**"We only bring those who interest us here."** The creature answered. **"Those born with a primal rarely seek to understand what lies within, elves are the worst. Arrogant, proud, vain, and close-minded. They are so sure of their superiority...but you...the first human to connect to the ocean arcanum in over a thousand years. You are a mystery wrapped in an enigma. The last human to connect to this place was a woman. The greatest human city of the ancient world was named after her. It has been interesting to watch you follow her path...she too was trained by the Midnight Star."**

"Aaravos trained her?" He remembered his teacher mentioning something about this several years ago yet Callum couldn't recall the details of that conversation. "What do you know about my master?"

**"He is an angel to some and a demon to others."** The creature answered. **"He offered the torch of knowledge to all who would embrace it. She embraced it and became his greatest apprentice, his most loyal follower, and so much more. He gave her everything...everything but time..."**

It was so much information...yet also so little. "What was her name? What is the name of this city that you keep mentioning?"

**"Elarion..."**

He had never heard that name before yet for some reason it sent shivers down his spine. "What happened to the city? To her?"

**"They sleep."** The Leviathan answered. **"In the city of Elarion, there is only sleep. In the sleeping city walk only mad things, It is a city of terrible, unnumbered crimes. In the city she lays dreaming...her heart carved from black ice..."**

"So Elarion still exists?" He asked, but received no answer from the Leviathan who remained silent. "You are worse then my teacher when it comes to vague statements." Callum hated riddles and he hated when people didn't explain themselves clearly. Why did everyone he met have to speak in vague statements? "Can you speak more clearly and specifically? Give me some details?"

**"** **Xquyais nuz taz ujjyxsdalx usw taz qibxy. Ztx waxw di jyidxld dtx ladg dtxg roaqd difxdtxy. Sin tx zxxez yxbxsfx usw zxxez di kuex dtx wyxuk dtxg ztuyxw u yxuqadg. Rod rxnuyx, ntxs ztx pxqq dtx rxzd juydz ip tak nxsd nadt txy. Gxd dtxyx kaftd rx tijx piy gio, as gio qabxz dtx zis dtxg kaftd tubx tuw ap pudx tuw rxxs easwxy di dtxk. Xbxs tx kozd zxszx ad, uqdtioft tx naqq kizd qaexqg sxbxy uwkad ad di gio iy di takzxqp.** **"** The Leviathan muttered, its alien tongue reverberating through the water. **"There, that should explain everything."**

"Wow...thats helpful, would you mind telling me what that gibberish meant?"

**"I am not here to educate you or teach you the pure tongue of the old ones."** The creature's tone grew darker. **"I am here to give you a warning."**

"Why do you care about me?" Callum asked as he gazed into the creature's numerous eyes. "What am I to you?"

**"Something special, you will be the one to turn the key and change the nature of man."** The water around Callum grew colder. **"Which is why we wish to warn you. The Chaser of Shadows approaches you even now...sailing upon a sea of blood. A crawling foulness will overcome you all because you did not shut your hearts to iniquity. You will most likely survive but to save those closest to you, you must find a way to make your strength theirs."**

Callum rolled those words around in his head, trying to make sense of them but managing nothing.

**"All will become clear in time. Although I would be careful if I were you...The Stars sweep chill currents that make men shiver in the dark..."** The Leviathan stated as if it sensed Callum's confusion. **"The warning has been given, your fate is now your own. You are the first human to take a piece of the primal into themselves in centuries...it would be rather anti-climatic if you died so young. Now wake up, and return to your world of light and warmth above the waves."**

Callum's eyes opened up and saw that he was once again back in his bed.

"About time you woke up, I thought you might sleep through your birthday," Aaravos said as he gestured for Callum to get up. "The sun has long since risen and you haven't even gotten ready."

Callum breathed heavily as he thought about his dream...no it wasn't a dream. His spirit had connected to the ocean again. He looked over at his teacher and wondered if he should tell the elf about his experience. He was tempted to but stopped himself.

If Aaravos was allowed to have secrets then so was he.

Callum swung his legs over the side of his bed and let out a groan as he stretched his stiff limbs. "Y'know traditionally people say 'Happy Birthday' as a way of greeting someone on their birthday," Callum grumbled as he got out of bed.

Aaravos snorted. "Why you humans choose to put such emphasis on a birthday is beyond me. Why celebrate drawing ever closer to the end of your short lives?"

He rolled his eyes at his teacher's words. "Life is short so you enjoy it while you can, we cant all have lifespans stretching over a thousand years like elves," Callum replied. "Are all elves, this depressing or is it just you?"

"I'm downright sunny compared to most elves." Aaravos pointed out as he went over to Callum's closet and began picking out an outfit. Lately, the elf had begun choosing the outfit that Callum would wear each day. "Also its only Startouch elves that live for over a thousand years. Other species of elf have significantly shorter lifespans, although they are longer then your sub-century lifespan. Here we go, this should be perfect." He held up a red silk shirt with black sleeves and cloth-of-gold accents and laid it out on Callum's bed along with a set of black pants before leaving the room to allow his student some privacy to get changed.

The clothes seemed like a bit much but he kept his mouth shut about it less he hears another lecture from his teacher about 'proper appearances' so he dressed in the clothes his teacher had selected for him and he thought about how his trip had been so far. It had been two months since they arrived in Evenere and he had spent most of it touring the city, learning etiquette and history from the Evenere tutors, and practicing magic in secret. He also painted portraits of several notable nobles and merchants around the city who were willing to pay quite a bit of money for the sake of having a portrait painted by a prince.

After getting dressed Callum walked into the common room of the tower where his teacher was waiting for him.

"You look good, I'm glad we got you those new clothes." Aaravos nodded as he paced around Callum, inspecting the outfit. "Although at the rate you're growing we might have to get you a new wardrobe in a few months...perhaps even today. You are growing like a weed."

The thought of once again shopping for clothes with his teacher made his blood freeze. "Not again..." He muttered sadly.

"Yes again," Aaravos replied. "I won't have you looking shabby. One day I will physically return to this world and-"

"-And you dont want me making you look bad, I know you've said like a million times." Callum had grown tired of his teacher's pretentiousness and vanity when it came to appearances. "You still have yet to share how you intend to get a new body."

"Such plans are like fruit, you need to wait until they are ripe before picking them." Aaravos smiled at Callum. "The way you always question me. I swear it's like you dont trust me or something, what have I dont to earn such distrust from you my dear apprentice?"

It took all of Callum's discipline to keep a straight-faced, over the last two months he had been questioning his teacher about his past and motivations in an attempt to see if there was anything sinister in them. His mother had sort-of warned him about his teacher's gifts coming with some sort of price, but had she meant it literally or figuratively? His teacher's answers were always honest and the elf had always been truthful with him. It made him wonder if it really had been his mother in that spiritual journey he had taken.

"Well..." Callum fumbled for the right words. "You're always vague about things whenever I ask you questions like right now you won't tell me what your plan is to get a new body."

Aaravos favored Callum with an amused smile. "Startouch elves such as myself are vague by nature, it comes with being born with the Star primal within us. You, humans, are open books but Startouch elves are a bit more complicated then that."

"I swear you say these things just to make yourself sound cool and mysterious...I dont think I'll ever understand you."

"The inner machinations of my mind are an enigma." Aaravos put forward happily.

"Could you try being less of an enigma?" Callum asked, trying to hide his frustration. "You're my teacher and I'm your apprentice. You once said it was a relationship of mutual trust and yet it seems like you dont trust me."

Callum expected an angry response from his teacher but instead, the elf favored him with a smile. "Using my own words against me...very good. It seems my lessons are rubbing off on you after all." He nodded happily. "As for my plans to get a new body….the reason I'm so vague is a bit embarrassing. The truth is that I dont know how I'm going to manage it."

"You dont?" Callum hadn't been expecting that as an answer. The way his teacher spoke it made it sound like he had some grand plan. "But you're always talking about returning to this world and...come to think of it you've never mentioned what you plan on doing if you manage to get a new body."

"I have ideas but nothing solid," Aaravos admitted. "My initial plan after I sealed my soul away was to wait for one of my followers to release me. There were several I trusted with a majority of my secrets, many knew the true nature of the Key. I figured I would have to wait a few years, perhaps a century at the most before being released. Instead, it has been almost a thousand years since my self-imprisonment so It's safe to assume my followers died before they could free me."

"What would you have done if your plan had worked?" Callum asked, curious to know more about his teacher's plans and enjoying his teacher's straightforward answers.

"Seek vengeance upon my enemies," Aaravos answered casually as if he was talking about the weather. "But now pretty much all of my enemies are dead from old age. The Xadia that I fought for no longer exists...in truth, I dont even know what Xadia is like in this new modern era. My name has been wiped from the history books and only exists in oral traditions. I'm not even sure if I can manage to return to my body, its most likely turned to dust by now, assuming my enemies even gave me a proper burial or cremation. They might have just thrown my body into a ditch somewhere to be eaten by maggots."

"You paint a grim picture."

"It is a grim picture indeed." Aaravos agreed with a tired sigh. "I do have some ideas on how to et a new body. Such as finding a living soulless vessel to possess or if I could just get even a small amount of my original body I might be able to forge myself a new form." He shrugged. "If all else fails I have you to carry on my legacy."

"Me?"

"Yes, you." Aaravos smugly replied. "I've been teaching you magic both out of gratitude for you releasing my soul from its prison and also as a way to preserve my teachings. One day you will show all of humanity that primal magic is possible for them to achieve, they will gaze upon you with awe and flock to you for the knowledge you possess. The books on magic that I've been having you write will be mass-produced and flood the world at large, the lessons you learned from me will change the world as we know it. What the elves tried to suppress humanity will embrace with open arms and usher in a new age."

"I didn't agree to any of this." Callum had no intention of being a herald of magic. All he wanted to do was learn magic so he could protect his brother. "I dont want that kind of responsibility!"

"You should have thought about that before becoming my apprentice." Aaravos smugly replied. "This is your destiny whether you like it or not. Unless you intend to hide your abilities for the rest of your life? Can you do that? Do you want to do that?"

Callum knew the answer was no, he wanted to show his friends and family what he accomplished. Yet the more he thought about his teacher's words the more they rang true. If he showed off the fact he could use primal magic, a feat that humans have tried and failed to do for all of history. That meant there would be lines of people wanting to learn from him.

_'The Midnight Stars gifts come with a price. You won't know it until its already been paid.'_ His mother's words rang true. He hadn't signed up for this and yet it seemed inevitable. He had been so excited about learning magic all these years that he had barely been considering the long terms ramifications.

As if seeing his distress Aaravos put a comforting hand on Callum's shoulder. "Rest easy, as I said before that is the last resort. Ideally, I will find a way to regain my body and you can leave the teaching to me. You just have to stand by my side and smile to the crowds, you will be the proof that humans can learn primal magic."

"Is that all I am? Some sort of prop?" Callum asked, not sure whether being a prop was better or worse then being a grandmaster of magic to humanity.

"Oh stop being so sensitive." Aaravos chided lightly. "You are far more important then you know. When you bled upon the key your blood mixed with mine, our blood and fates are interwoven, my dear student."

"You make it sound like we're married or something..."

"You wish." Aaravos waved away the boy's statement with good-natured mirth. "I'm just saying that the invisible hand of fate has brought us together. You will be one of the few human students of mine to achieve the title of an archmage."

That statement confused Callum. "What do you mean by 'one of the few?' You said you trained lots of humans before me, how were so few archmages?"

"I did train many students." Aaravos nodded. "But keep in mind that being able to use all the primal sources is a rare gift, and hard to achieve even for an elf...except in my case because I am special." He gestured towards himself grandly. " To tap into a magic arcanum is to take a small part of the primal into yourself. Anybody can take in two or three. But different types of primal energy in your body can sometimes have...negative effects on one's health."

Callum didn't like the way his teacher was fraising his sentences, he could tell the elf was trying to gussy up his language. "Define 'negative effects' please. Will I explode or something?"

"Of course not." Aaravos chuckled as if it were the most amusing thing in the world. "Only one of my human students ever exploded and he was a moron who overreached himself and took in primal sources that he hadn't properly meditated upon." The elf let out a sad sigh. "I only ever found small pieces of poor Jodah ...but rest assured I have complete faith in your ability to master all the primal sources without anything bad happening to you."

"And if you're wrong?"

"I'm not."

"What if you are?"

"Have some faith in your teacher." Aaravos chided. "If you died I would get sealed back into the key, something that I wouldn't risk by putting you in unnecessary danger. You've already passed a test of sorts that proves you have the ability to use powerful magic."

"A test?" Callum racked his brain for a time when he had been tested yet nothing came up. "What test are you talking about?"

"Your paintings of course," Aaravos said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "When you were able to use _'The Way of The Painted World'_ I knew you were special. My human student who went on to become an archmage created that ability when she studied the higher mysteries of the primal sources."

Callum had an idea of who that student was and what her name was but he dare not reveal how he knew that to his teacher. "You said the paintings were blood magic."

"They are, but the blood magic aspect is mostly in the binding of the paintings to yourself and fueling the creation of them. I told you when we were sailing here that you capture the spirit and insinuate your will into the subject." Aaravos favored him with a smile. "That is where the true power of your art comes from. You are tapping into something greater, something that existed long before this modern era."

Callum had to resist rolling his eyes, he hated when his teacher didn't explain things fully and left questions hanging in the air. "What are you talking about? Are you talking about primal magic?'

"There was a time long ago before the primal sources weren't defined as they are now. A time when the elves were one people, unbound to any primal source and united as one." Aaravos explained, his voice growing melancholy. "It was a time before the primal sources...a time of wonder and terror, a time where Heroes and Legends walked the earth."

That took Callum aback, he had never heard of such a thing in any books or stories. In fact, the way his teacher was talking sounded like he was telling a story straight out of a fairy tale. "A time before the primal sources? How is that even possible?" The primal sources were powers linked to nature itself, he didn't understand how anything could have existed before them.

"The primal's existed but the lines between them were blurred and not fully defined as they are today," Aaravos explained, his face grew pensive as he tried to find the right words. "They were pre-differentiated…it's difficult to describe with our limited vocabulary. The best way I can think to describe it is that there were ancient forms of primal energy that later became the primal sources we know today. Yet some bits of them linger still...one of those original sources is…" He paused as if to find the right words. "The best word to describe it is power."

"Power?" If Callum was confused before he was downright lost now. "What does that even mean? Power is just...power."

Aaravos let out a tired sigh. "Power is a thing that has an impact on the world. It has the ability to change the reality we know into something else entirely. It directs an impulse from one's mind to something and changes it. It is the ability to enforce one's will onto reality itself to make change possible. Much like the way you use your art to turn a painted world into a new reality through your passions and imagination." He explained. "I told you that you have the ability to capture the spirit in your art. Well, Spirit is the element that allows all living things to persist against the forces around us and bend them to our benefit. Power, Spirit, Will, such things are the true source of all magic."

Callum felt like his head was about to explode as he tried to understand the gibberish his teacher was saying. "What on earth are you even talking about? That made no sense whatsoever!" Callum exclaimed once he gathered his thoughts together.

There was a brief flash of frustration on his teacher's face but it quickly vanished as his teacher let out an exhausted sigh. "Like I said it's hard to explain this stuff with your limited human vocabulary. For now dont worry about it, I'll teach it to you when you're older." He walked over to one of the windows in the room and pushed aside the red silk curtains, curtains that Callum had to buy to replace all the green ones his teacher had burnt when the elf went on an interior design rampage. "For now let's focus on the present. You slept in and then decided to talk to me instead of getting ready for your big day. While I dont understand the human obsession with birthdays you might as well enjoy yourself since this is the first free day you've had in a long time."

Callum found himself agreeing completely. It had been nearly two months since he had arrived in Evenere and he had been constantly busy. The King and Queen had private tutors take over his education while he was away from his Katolian teachers back at Katolis castle. He had his 'dancing' lessons with the King several times a week which left him exhausted for the rest of the day. He also found himself paintings portraits in an attempt to make some of the money he had spent back. The painting was somewhat fun since he enjoyed creating art but portraits were rather boring since he was just copying reality onto the canvas rather then letting his imagination run wild. On top of all of his other duties, he also had his lessons with Aaravos, leaving little to no time for himself.

Today however he was free to do whatever he wanted. It was his birthday and he would spend it as he saw fit with the only meeting he had to attend being a birthday feast the King and Queen of Evenere had planned for him later tonight. Until then he was a free boy.

Realizing how much time he had wasted he straightened out his clothes and walked over to the door to his room and opened it-

"SURPRISE!" Claudia called out as she barged in holding a plate that held a large stack of pancakes. "Happy Birthday Callum!" She sang happily as she pushed her way past him. "I made you my special birthday pancakes. It was hard to get the right magical reagents for-OH MY GOD WHO IS THAT?!"

Callum looked at what freaked Claudia out and saw that his teacher was standing there, his painted body on display for all to see. Callum froze as he tried to figure out the best way to calm his friend down and explain this situation. Thankfully his teacher was a quick thinker and Aaravos immediately abandoned the painted body, his spirit floating off to the side.

"Tell her that its just a magical experiment, an attempt to bring a painting of an elf to life. Quickly before she freaks out and does something irrational." Aaravos ordered calmly as his incorporeal spirit hovered next to the painted body he had abandoned.

"Its one of my living paintings!" Callum declared, seizing upon his teacher's plan as he placed himself between Claudia and his teacher's painted body. "Yup, just one of those magic experiments. I wanted to try to create an elf painting thingy...to...see if I could get the painting to do magic." The lie sounded weak to his ears but it seemed to work because Claudia immediately calmed down.

"Oh...okay that makes sense." Claudia adjusted the plate of pancakes that was clutched tightly in her hands, some of them almost fell off during her freakout. "Sorry, just wasn't expecting to see an elf when I walked in here to wish you a happy birthday."

"No problem, I'll just send it back into its canvas and we can enjoy some of those pancakes you bought up." Callum reached his hand towards the paintings in an attempt to order it to return to the canvas from whence it came but Claudia moved in front of him before he could say the incantation.

"Not so fast," Claudia ordered as she observed the living golem made out of paint. "I've only seen these things a few times, and this one is especially impressive." She peered at the painted elf's face. "Is it a boy elf or a girl elf? It has to be a female right? I mean look at that face and hair...so pretty."

Callum had to resist laughing as he watched his teacher's ghostly visage turn murderous as the elf glared at Claudia with eyes full of barely restrained wrath.

"Is your raven-haired friend blind? Of course, I'm a male elf." Aaravos declared as he continued to glare at Claudia. "Back in Xadia, I was the adonis of masculinity and beauty."

"It's a male elf," Callum said, still trying to resist laughing at his teacher's lack of composure. It was one of the few times he had ever seen the elf angry. In truth, he rather agreed with Claudia, from the pictures he had seen in books and his own teacher's appearance it was obvious elves are highly androgynous. He remembered the first time he had met his teacher in the Banther lodge all those years ago, it had taken him a little while to realize that Aaravos was, in fact, a 'he' and not a 'she'.

Claudia nodded thoughtfully as she looked at the painting. "This is a Startouch elf, right? I think I've seen a few illustrations in my father's books on Xadia. This is far more detailed then any of the pictures I've seen, how did you paint one that looks so realistic?"

"I saw a picture of one once and felt inspired," Callum muttered, grasping at straws as he tried to change the subject. "Enough about that elf." He waved his hand while muttering an incantation, the painted elf walked over to the canvas from whence it came and resumed its place as the centerpiece of the canvas.

Seeing the painting was gone Claudias attention turned back to Callum. "Well with that out of the way I can give you my special birthday pancakes." She declared as she held up the stack of pancakes. There was a single candle on top of them which had somehow managed to stay alight despite all of Claudia's movements. "Make a wish and blow out the candle, it's not every day someone turns ten."

Callum indulged her and mentally wished for a quick and productive journey across the human kingdoms so that he could tap into all the primal sources and see his brother again. He had been sending Crow messages to Katolis near every day and receiving them from his brother as well but it still wasn't the same as seeing Ezran. After blowing out the candle they both took a seat in a small breakfast nook and discussed their plans for the day. All the while his teacher hovered off in the corner still glaring at Claudia.

"Thanks for the pancakes," Callum said in between mouthfuls of fluffy pancake goodness. After spending almost two months eating seagull eggs, bacon made from swamp creatures, and crocodile sausage for breakfast it made Claudia's pancakes a godsend.

"Its the least I can do after you and Soren did such a wonderful job throwing me a party last month," Claudia replied happily, her expression taking on a dreamy look as she reminisced about her own birthday. "I've never had such a wonderful surprise party before, I never saw it coming."

Callum had to resist rolling his eyes. Claudia was obsessed with silly surprise parties. She likes them so much that every year she would drop hints to Callum, Soren, and Viren about how much she liked to be surprised, always letting them know through hints what kind of surprise she had in mind that year. Every year her demands grew bigger and more ridiculous yet she never fails to act surprised when her dreams come true and they manage to create the party she had been hinting at. At least Callum was pretty sure she was pretending to be surprised, Claudia could be such a ditz that she might have actually forgotten about all her hints and been genuinely surprised.

_'This year her hints were insane. I'm amazed that Soren and I managed to find a giant trampoline, a dancing bear, and a full circus to perform at her party.'_ If Queen Fareeda hadn't been helping they might not have managed it at all. To avoid betraying his thoughts on the monumental task planning her party had been all Callum said was. "Well, this was your first birthday away from home so Soren and I wanted to make it special, with Fareeda's help it really was no trouble at all." He lied as he took another bite of pancake.

"It makes me feel bad that we aren't doing anything special for your birthday," Claudia said glumly. "All you want to do is tour the city and attend a small birthday feast, it's so boring..."

Compared to her circus of a party Callum supposed his idea would be boring by comparison. "You forget that today I get to choose where we go in the city." All the trips they had made through Evenere had been on the Queen's barge and they only ever went to the rich districts of the city where nobles, rich merchants, and other self-important people shopped and hung around talking about how great they were. Today they would be taking a much smaller boat and travel to the rest of the city. "I plan on seeing the real Evenere, not the gussied up parts the Queen wanted us to see."

Claudia scoffed. "By the 'real' Evenere you mean we are going to end up walking near smelly taverns, wine sinks, and brothels. Color me excited." She muttered sarcastically.

Callum rolled his eyes at his friend's lack of enthusiasm. "We are going to the Far Harbor where people from all five kingdoms trade with each other. It's said you can buy anything in the world in the markets there." Not to mention it was the liveliest place in the city, he had only glimpsed it from afar but today he would be going there personally. "That means the rarest magical items, and exotic foods will be there."

That seemed to interest Claudia since the girl perked up immediately. "Magical items and food...I wonder if there will be Del Barian honey treats there? Or maybe candied locusts…."

"Candied locusts?" Callum asked, not quite believing what he was hearing. "How is that even a thing?'

Claudia chuckled. "They will candy just about anything in Neolandia. Dont be deceived by the locust bit, my dad brought some home for me once and they were spectacular."

Callum finished off his pancakes quickly before his appetite disappeared from hearing about anymore strange Neolandian candy. "Well, I'm sure we will see all sorts of strange candy at the Far Harbor." He got up from his chair and grabbed his traveling satchel. "Lets set sail for fun."

"More like row for fun," Claudia replied as she followed him down the stairs of the King Tower. "You told the Queen you wanted to use a smaller boat since the barge has trouble getting into the smaller canals. So she set us up with a nice rowboat and some men to row us where we want."

As the two traveled down the tower they came across Corvus who was already armored up in brown leather, a sword on his waist along with a hook attached to a long metal chain, he would be their bodyguard for the journey along with a few extra men that the Queen was sending with them.

After the three trekked through the palace and entering one of the many gardens they found their boat tied up to one of the palaces many docks. Soren was already there, his arms crossed as he waited for them.

"About time you two got here," Soren grunted as he uncrossed his arms and turned to Claudia. "While you were getting the birthday boy I've been hanging out with the escort Queen Fareeda has for us." he grimaced. "They are very...interesting folks."

Soren moved aside and saw three people waiting by the rowboat. Their escort was interesting, to say the least.

"Greetings yer majesties!" The lead man said as he gave a quick bow. He was an older man who looked like he was nearing middle age. He had orange hair and a beard that was tied into three individual braids near the bottom. He had a black eyepatch over his left eye and his remaining eye was blue. He was dressed like a traditional idea of a pirate, the only hint that he served the Queen was that he had a golden dragonfly sewn onto the green tunic that he wore. "I be Captain Villads. The 'D' be silent."

"Is it talk like a pirate day already?" Claudia asked aloud.

Soren shook his head. "Nope, this is just how he talks normally."

Aye!" Villads agreed. "I traveled the world in me youth and picked up a bit of an accent along with numerous skills that make me the best dern captain in Queen Fareedas navy." He gestured to the two people behind him. "And this be me, faithful crew, meet the Strider twins. Jack and Lizzie."

Callum saw that the Strider twins were the opposite of Villads. While Villads dressed like a flamboyant peacock the twins were dressed in similar clothes to that of the Evenere guards with green leather armor covering their bodies with the only exception being they didn't have helmets.

Jack was a thin man who looked like he was twenty, his hair was black and cut short, he had small green eyes that seemed to glare at the world around him. He might have been considered handsome but he had several scars along his face which made him look dangerous. Callum saw that Lizzie was a little better, being Jacks' twin she shared his same black hair and green eyes, only her hair was shaved on one side with the other being shoulder length. Every part of her flesh that was exposed was covered in tattoos of Kraken, eels, and other aquatic sea creatures.

Neither of the twins said anything so Villads spoke for them. "Dont let their dour looks fool ye, they be the best crew a man could ask for and they be plenty strong enough to protect ye against anything that could mean ye harm in the city. Jack is a skilled fighter and I once watched Lizzie tear a man's throat out with her teeth."

Lizzie smiled after hearing those words and it became obvious why she was able to accomplish such a feat. Callum saw that all of her teeth had been filed into sharp points making the woman look like a shark.

Wanting to break the ice Claudia stepped up. "Lizzie, that's a nice name. Is it short for Elizabeth?"

"No its short for Lizard," Lizzie replied, her tone made it unclear whether it was a joke or if she was being serious.

Jack didn't say anything but began to use sign language, gesturing towards Lizzie.

_'I dont like the looks of this lot. First, we get stuck on canal duty, now we have to babysit a bunch stuck-up noble brats.'_ Jack signed to his sister, which made the woman laugh.

Clearly it was meant to be a secret conversation but Callum knew enough sign language to understand every word the man was signing. He had learned sign language so that he could more easily communicate with his aunt Amaya who was deaf.

"If you want to go back to canal duty that can be arranged," Callum said which drew looks of surprise from both Jack and Lizzie. "Yes I know sign language, my Aunt Amaya is deaf so I learned it to communicate with her."

Villads let out a hearty laugh. "Ah, there be no pulling the wool over this prince's eyes, eh Jack?" Villads elbowed his crew member. "Jack here isn't deaf but he got his tongue cut out of his mouth years ago so he be mute. It be why we sometimes call him Silent Jack."

Jack gave the universal sign for 'fuck you' in the form of a middle finger which made Villads laugh.

Soren got between the two groups. "Okay, now that the introductions are out of the way can we please get going?" He asked as he gestured towards the rowboat.

Deciding that Soren was right they all entered the boat. It was a large boat so it needed a fair amount of people to row it. Jack, Lizzie, Corvus, and Soren all took up oars while Villads sat at the helm of the boat while Callum and Claudia sat near the back. Soon they pushed off and were rowing through the canals of Evenere towards the Far Harbor.

"Why do I have to row?" Soren grunted while rowing.

"Because you and Corvus were sent here as Prince Callum's sworn shields," Claudia replied happily. "Which means you have to protect him from enemies and row a boat for him."

Lizzie laughed at that statement. "These two are here to defend the Prince?" She asked snidely as she looked at Corvus and Soren. "The blond one looks like he spends more time preening himself in the mirror then training and dreadlock over here cant be older then fifteen."

"I'm almost seventeen." Corvus retorted. "I'm also the best soldier under the command of General Amaya who selected me specifically for this mission."

"Then this General Amaya must also be blind on top of being deaf if she chose you," Lizzie replied. "You look young enough to still be nursing on your mother's teat, come over here, I bet I can smell breastmilk on yer breath."

"Enough of that talk!" Villads declared from the front of the boat. "The Queen herself charged us with escorting the Prince and his cohorts through the city. So you be talking to them with respect or the Queen will have yer tongue out the same way poor Jack lost his."

That put a stop to the fighting which Callum was grateful for. Between his conversation with Aaravos earlier today, and all of this arguing his tenth Birthday wasn't off to the best start. He was still stressed out about his teacher's claim about his destiny as a guide for humanity's future in magic. Not to mention his dream meeting with the Leviathan. He still wasn't sure what to do with the information he learned. The idea of having to someday teach apprentices of his own made his stomach clench.

As if sensing his distress he saw that Aaravos refused to stay in the bedroom at the top of the tower. His teacher's incorporeal form was walking alongside the boat, his incorporeal form walking on the surface of the water as if it was made of solid earth.

Aaravos turned to Callum as the elf walked on the water alongside the boat. "I wanted to see this Far Harbor for myself. Perhaps we can find some new clothes for you. If this harbor has merchants from all the five kingdoms doing business here then there must be some tailors who can sell you some nice clothes and-"

Callum promptly blocked out his teachers ranting about fashion. The elf was so damn vain when it came to fashion.

The trip through the canals was fairly boring as they went through the more rich districts. They had to dodge larger barges and ships as they maneuvered through the many canals of the city. All the while Villads spouted random facts about the city, the canals, and his life in general.

"I be losing my left eyes to a flock of murderous seagulls," Villads muttered sadly. "I was eating a hotdog on the docks when they cam fer me. I fought long and hard but eventually, one of em plucked me eye out, but they didn't get me hotdog."

"So you traded an eye for a hotdog?" Soren asked. "Doesn't seem like the best trade to me."

"It be about pride me lad." Villads replied. "No seagull will ever get the better of me, plus women like a man with one eye, makes me look tough and rugged."

"At the cost of depth perception." Corvus pointed out. "It's dangerous to soldier for a kingdom with only one eye, something can attack you from your blind spot."

"That be why I be on canal duty, and escorting princes instead of captaining a proper ship." Villads let out a mournful sigh. "I was once a privateer in her majesties service, but with peace between the five kingdoms, the only enemies we be fighting were pirates...considering going pirate meself but my head be too pretty to see it swinging from a yardarm. So now I'm just doing this job until I can save up enough money to buy a schooner of me own and sail off into the horizon. Perhaps settle down someplace nice and calm. Maybe find a wife. Perhaps I might even try Katolis. I've heard Katolis has some nice calm waters. Although the food there..."

"What's wrong with Katolian food?" Callum asked, not liking his nation's food being insulted.

Villads rubbed the back of his head as he tried to find the right words." Yer food be...bland..."

Lizzie laughed. "That's why some people call Katolians 'Turnips' as an insult the same way your people call us 'Frog-eaters'. All your food is nothing but bread and turnip stew."

Callum scoffed. "At least we cook our food, half the stuff you eat is raw. I hate the taste of raw clams."

"Hate the taste of clams? Good luck getting a girlfriend," Lizzie replied with a chuckle.

Callum cocked his head to the side in confusion, not quite understanding Lizzies response. He was about to ask what she meant but Aaravos floated up alongside and shook his head.

"I'll explain it to you when you're older." was the elf's response so Callum dropped it and settled into his seat on the boat.

"Prince Callum is right though," Soren interjected. "Katolian food might be simple buts its filling and hearty."

Callum listened to Soren and Lizzie argue about Katolian food as the boat drew ever closer to their destination. He smelled the Far Harbor long before he saw it. The smell of tar, smoke, and strange spices filled the air along with the sounds of people yelling at each other in the trade tongue.

Soon they reached the harbor and Villads expertly brought them into one of the many docks and tied the rowboat up as all of them got out of the boat and stretched their legs, or in Soren and Corvus's case stretching their arms that ached from rowing.

"We be here." Villads declared happily as everyone assembled before him. "This be a tough harbor, so all of ye are to stay close to Silent Jack, Lizzie, and meself. Queen Fareeda entrusted us with yer protection because we know this harbor like the back of our hands. So stay close and dont wander off. Now, let's enjoy the sights and smells of the greatest port in all the world!"

* * *

Claudia's hesitation about coming to the 'real Evenere' as Callum put it melted away as she walked through the Far harbor with Soren and their bodyguard for the day Lizzie Strider. The three of them had separated from the rest of the group due to Soren not wanting to shop for clothes with Callum, so they promised to meet up later in the day. Claudia was against it at first but in truth, she wanted to do a little private shopping, she had already gotten Callum a gift for his birthday but perhaps she could find something else the prince might enjoy. The Far Harbor had far more then she could have ever imagined, vendors from all corners of the world sold various trinkets both magical and mundane, so many that she could spend hours here and not even see a quarter of what was on sale.

Although as she did suspect earlier there were far too many wine sinks, smelly taverns and dockside whores for her taste. But she had been warned about such things from her father before leaving Katolis. _"Of the Five Kingdoms, Katolis is the most humble and simple due to our history of guarding the borders of humanity. Our people grew to be pragmatists who value family, hard work, and generally shrug away from the excesses and vanity of the other four kingdoms."_ Her father had said on the night before she departed Katolis. _"In the other Kingdoms you fill see things that will shatter your rather...sheltered view of the world, but I am confident that you will come through it fine...although be sure to keep an eye on your brother."_ Then her father had given her his signature wink, a way of showing her his absolute confidence in her.

She turned to Soren and saw he was flirting with a young woman who looked like she could give someone a pox just by breathing on them. Claudia grabbed Soren by the ear and dragged him away from her as he weakly protested.

Once they were away from the prostiture she let go of his ear. "What the heck Clauds?" Soren grumbled as he rubbed his ear. "I was just talking with the nice girl."

"She wasn't no nice girl." Lizzie Strider spoke up as she walked up to them. "She had a large knife under that dress. Most likely she wanted to get you somewhere secluded to rob ya or maybe kill ya. This ain't Katolis or the rich districts of Evenere. This is the real Evenere and you two best stick close unless you want to get yourselves into trouble."

After that, they went to various vendors and looked at their wares. Claudia bought a good luck charm from a Neolandian vendor, an onyx spider brooch from a Duren Jewelsmith, and she even managed to find a sweets seller who carried every type of candy from all the five kingdoms.

"Can you lend me some gold Claud's?" Soren asked, drawing Claudias attention way from the candy vendor. "These are the best weapons I've ever seen."

Claudia reluctantly left the candy vendor and saw what Soren was obsessing about. It was a Del Barian blacksmith selling weapons and armor. While Katolis made some of the best arms and armor in the land Del Bar was superior in terms of quality, although their work was a hundred times more expensive then that of a Katolian smith.

"I would be unstoppable with a set of armor like this." Soren declared as he gestured towards a set of armor on display. While Claudia didn't care much for the arms and armor of warriors she could appreciate the artistry and craftsmanship in it. The steel that the people of Del Bar used was stronger then most and was a unique color being a dark gray with ripple-like patterns. It was stronger then normal steel but also far more expensive since the smithing process required it to be folded back onto itself thousands of times.

"See the chainmail?" Soren asked as he gestured to the chainmail. "Its double link, each link is attached to two others. The great helm has a rounded top so that blades slide off as opposed to a flattened top where it would take the full force of the blow. Not to mention-"

"-It costs almost fifty golden royals for the whole set." Claudia interrupted as hse looked at the vendor, a great ox of a man with a flowing blond beard. A True Del Barian just by looks alone with massive muscles, thick hair, and blue eyes with fair skin.

"Worth every penny, I won't apologize for the price. Also, that full set of armor comes with a weapon of your choice." The vendor muttered. "I sell quality here if you want cheap then go buy some Duren garbage. They prefer their steel shiny and inlaid with silver, and their helms are shaped like bulls, stags, and strange fruits. I sell tough quality stuff that is meant to save one's life."

"See? We are buying quality." Soren nodded towards the vendor. "I know dad sent you with a bunch of money, lend me some and I'll pay you back when we get home."

"No," Claudia replied immediately. "We still have three other Kingdoms after this, plus you'll outgrow that armor in a few months. The only person who could afford this is Callum so ask him."

"I will." Soren crossed his arms stubbornly. "Although...could you lend me just a little bit of gold? I do still kind of need to buy him a birthday present..."

Claudia's head didn't literally explode but she was certain that it came close. "You haven't bought him a present yet?" She knew her brother was irresponsible but this was something else. "You've known his birthday was coming for ages. His birthday is literally a month after my own, it's super easy to remember."

Soren shrugged which made Claudia want to grab a Warhammer from the weapons vendors display and smack her bullheaded brother over the head with it.

"What am I supposed to get him anyway?" Her brother asked. "He's ten years old and already rich. People pay ridiculous amounts of money just to have him paint their portraits, not to mention the money he gets from his dad. What do you get for a prince that has everything?"

"I got him an Evenere painting set with unique paints created from special colors they make out of shells and insects from Evenere's swamps." Claudia put forward proudly, it was a beautiful art set that she knew Callum would love.

"Maybe you could label it as being from both of us?" Soren asked, trying to adopt a puppy-dog eye looks.

It didn't move he heart one bit. "No, you should get him a gift. He gets one for you whenever you have a birthday."

Their conversation was interrupted by the Weapon vendor slamming a dagger down onto the table in front of him where his weapons and armors were displayed. "If it gets you two out of here then you can have this for one golden royal." The man offered as the dagger to Claudia. She looked it over and saw it was a beautiful piece of work, the blade was dark with the unique ripple patterns that Del Barian steel possessed. There was a crossguard with a pommel and a beautiful round ruby set into the metalwork.

"Why so cheap?" Claudia asked, immediately suspicious. "A golden royal wouldn't even cover the costs of the metal."

"I assume the prince you are speaking of is Prince Callum?" Receiving a nod he continued. "My work being used by a prince is good for me and my reputation. My mark is on the blade so people will know it was my work. I'll sell it to you for one gold as a courtesy, now if you're done shopping please leave. You're blocking other customers."

Claudia paid for it and left, handing it over to Soren who spent the next half hour taking experimental swings with it until she finally confiscated it from him. They went to a few more shops and stalls but eventually, Claudia was shopped out and they took a break near a small tavern to get some lunch. Both she and her brother were sitting across from each other on a small table outside the tavern while Lizzie stood guard, watching the area for any threat. At first, Claudia thought the woman's protection was pointless but earlier she saw a duel on the street end with one man dead and the other walking away without so much as a city guard showing up. It made her realize that Evenere really did leave the law in the hands of its citizens.

Claudia chose to focus on her food as she ate some clam chowder out of a wooden bowl, wishing she had bread to dip into it.

"So..." Soren spoke up, breaking the silence. "How are you and Callum doing?"

Claudia set her spoon aside, her chowder was forgotten. "What kind of question is that?" She had no idea what her brother was inferring here.

"Oh come one!" Soren declared loudly as he set his own fork aside, the eel pie he was eating forgotten. "I know I'm not exactly the most observationally person around but even I can tell you two have been acting weird. You get into an argument or something?"

She wanted to say no but in truth, things had been a bit awkward between her and Callum. "I just...he still won't let me teach him dark magic." It was more then that but she didn't want to get into it with Soren. "I think he...I dont know...He is still a wonderful friend but sometimes I feel like-"

"-he's a completely different person then the one we grew up with?" Soren finished, earning a surprised look from Claudia. "Even I noticed when he stopped playing with us after his mother died. Just locks himself away doing heaven knows what, also his distaste for dark magic is normal. Even I dont see how you can smush small creatures just for the sake of parlor tricks."

Claudia glared at her brother, he and Callum were so similar when it came to dark magic. Why couldn't they see the beauty in it? The power it held? The numerous health benefits and the benefits it gave to human society at large? She chose to ignore the lecture she wanted to spew in favor of focusing on Callum. "Its more then just him locking himself away. It's like….he rarely smiles anymore but when he does... it's like the world is a secret joke that only he is clever enough to understand. I can't describe it nor can I prove it but it's like he knows something….something he shouldn't."

"I think you're jealous."

"What?" She asked, not understanding what she was hearing. "How am I Jealous?"

"Because he can do magic without killing magical creatures?" Soren offered with a shrug. "Because he managed to create an explosive power that managed to impress dad? I dont think I've ever seen our father so excited about anything else before."

It was true, their father had become obsessed with the blasting powder Callum had created. So obsessed he had become slightly distant as he locked himself in his lab, doing experiments that he refused to let even her see. When before he had always shared all his secrets with her.

"Did I hit the nail on the head?" Soren asked as he laughed at her expression. "I wouldn't worry though, our dad liking Callum might work out for you. He might arrange a betrothal. Callum will be the step-prince and you as his step-princess."

She felt a chill go down her spine. She had heard those types of rumors floating around the Katolian court. Her father thought of King Harrow as a brother, and the rumors at court hinted that a betrothal was a possibility so that their families could be one. Although the rumors hinted that her father wanted to arrange a betrothal to Ezran when he came of age...something that disturbed her, she was sure her father wouldn't make her go through with something like that. Callum would be closer in age but her father wouldn't settle for him since he wasn't a blood relation to the King, although with Callums growing influence...there was no way her father would marry her off like a broodmare...right?

Suddenly she lost her appetite and her patience for her brother's jokes. Claudia shoved her chowder aside and got up and gestured for Lizzie to follow her which the older woman did. Claudia walked away from her brother, not really sure where she was heading. If she said anything else to him she knew she would say something that she would regret so leaving was the best option. Although that didnt mean she would have her revenge on him for bringing up such a terrible thing...

"Dont leave me with the bill, I dont have any money!"

Claudia and Lizzie laughed.

* * *

Corvus had initially been worried when General Amaya had chosen him to be Prince Callum's sword shield for the prince's journey through the human Kingdoms. Mainly due to the fact he had only been on active duty for a few years which made him rather inexperienced, he had wanted to refuse her but she had made it perfectly clear through her translator Gren why she needed him on this mission.

_'You are the best soldier I have for this job. My nephew is a young boy and will most likely get into trouble. I need someone with good eyes, situational awareness, and combat skills to get him out of any trouble he gets into. A knight can only protect a person with armor and arms, but you can protect Callum with speed, arms, and various other tools.'_ She had said through her Gren.

It was a true statement. A knight or soldier could protect Callum if an enemy presented itself openly and tried to attack the prince, but assassins rarely did such things. While he had doubts that anyone would want to assassinate a prince of Katolis, much less a prince that wasn't actually in line for the throne it never hurt to be careful.

Despite his dedication to seeing that the Prince was protected he couldn't help but feel bored, he was most comfortable out in the wilds, tracking prey or surveying unfamiliar surroundings. Currently, he was holding a bag full of clothes while the prince got himself a new wardrobe from a Duren tailor.

Villads and Jack were there as well, while Corvus had his doubts about the 'protection' Queen Fareeda had organized for the prince he was grateful for their presence. He turned towards Villads and got the man's attention. "Could you help me hold some of these?" He asked as he offered some of the clothes to the captain. "I need my hands free if I'm to fulfill my role as the prince's sworn shield."

"Dont be getting yer dreadlocks into a twist." Villads soothed. "Look around ye, the boy has the best protection in all the five kingdoms."

Corvus looked around to see what the man was talking about but all he saw was merchants hawking their goods, sailors disembarking ships, and people running to and fro. He was about to ask what Villads had meant when his sharp eyes saw them. Numerous individuals dressed in green who were randomly positioned in the crowds. Some were dressed like dockworkers, merchants, and various other professions. Yet they were all watching Corvus and Callum. With his trained eyes he could see that they were all carrying Evenere dueling sabers openly.

"They be the Bog Devils," Villads said when he saw Corvus had noticed therm. "Shadows in service to Queen Fareeda. Experts in espionage, assassination, and guerrilla tactics. They have been following us this whole time in plain sight. Or did you honestly think Jack, Lizzie and meself were all the protection she would be sending? The Prince and his cohorts are her wards. If anything happened to them it would mean...well something very unpleasant for Evenere. So relax a bit and let the lad do his shopping."

Corvus allowed himself to relax….a little. As a soldier and tracker, he wanted to fight and track stuff, carrying shopping supplies for a ten-year-old prince wasn't exactly how he saw his career in the Katolian army going. It didn't help that the prince he was serving was a bit strange. At first, he assumed it was because the boy was a mage but it was more then that. The kid seemed to have a sixth sense about everything, it was small things Corvus didn't really notice at first like how the boy knew when the weather would change, he knew what the gossip was around the palace despite almost never leaving his room, and various other little things.

"Now that we got the clothes shopping out of the way we can move onto something that's actually interesting," Prince Callum said and from there they moved on to various other stalls after he had grabbed the last bit of clothing he wanted. The Prince led him around to various vendors, sometimes the boy would buy something, other times he would just talk with the merchants. Villads would point out places of interest and lead them around to the more interesting parts of the harbor. Jack simply followed them around, a silent shadow scanning the crowds.

All in all, it was rather boring, which must have shown on his face because the prince noticed.

"You can go if you're bored Corvus," Callum spoke up as he ate a piece of Toffee he bought from a candy seller. "I know this isn't exactly your idea of fun."

"I am your-"

"-sword shield. I know, you've only said it a hundred times." Callum replied. "You dont need to be so stiff around me. We've been hanging out together for months, I count you among my friends and loyal retainers."

"So I'm a friend and loyal retainer am I?"

"Of course," Callum replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Just because my stepfather pays you that doesn't diminish our friendship."

"It enhances it really." Corvus did rather like Prince Callum, the strange little mage that he was. "I'm just glad you dont have me bow down before you every time you cough or take a squat."

"I'll settle for you carrying my stuff. Now that I have enough clothes to satisfy my guardian we can actually move on to shopping for things that are actually enjoyable. Do you have any place you want to go?" Callum asked as he turned to Corvus. "Or perhaps Villads or Silent Jack have any requests?"

"It's your birthday, you should go where you want to." Corvus pointed out with vocal approval from Villads and non-vocal approval from Silent Jack.

Callum nodded but let out a sad sigh. "I know but...well looking around this harbor makes me realize most of the fun stuff here in Evenere is tailored to a more….adult audience."

"You could say that again!" Everyone turned to the source of the voice and saw Claudia walk up with Lizzie and Soren trailing behind her. "I swear we walked past like, ten brothels. One of them asked me if I was looking for work. Soren had to pull me away before I used magic to curse them into oblivion."

"More like I had to stop her from burning the place down," Soren muttered as he walked up. "This place is very...different from Katolis."

Corvus couldn't help but agree. There were so many bars, wine sinks and brothels that it made his head spin. There was only one brothel that he knew of in Katolis but here they were dotted everywhere. It really wasn't a place for kids.

"The lad and lady be right, this ain't exactly the friendliest place for a young'un," Villads said, and even Silent Jack nodded. "I can still take ye to a few places of interest that even a young boy of ten can enjoy. The King of seals will be making a performance, and there are several mummer shows going on at the happy port down over yonder. The Mermaid Queen will be playing her harp today down by the Sweetwater aqueduct as well. Just follow my lead and we'll be drowning in fun."

Villads marched down the docks with Callum and his friends following behind so Corvus had no choice but to follow. Half of Villads had just said was absolute jibberish to a soldier such as himself but it at least sounded interesting.

"Never a dull moment when you're protecting a Prince..."

* * *

After several hours walking around with his friends and companions they all found themselves sitting at a large table outside a tavern called 'The Dead Eel' which Villads claimed served the best food and drink in Evenere. It was a noisy tavern with rowdy patrons, even from their seating outside overlooking the harbor they could still hear drunken revelry along with the occasional bar fight. Despite that, it was still a relaxed atmosphere compared to the rest of the harbor.

The day had been quite eventful. After buying a lot of new clothes at his teacher's command they had traveled through the Far Harbor and enjoyed its many sights. The King of Seals had in fact been a seal the size of a horse that performed tricks. He had even gotten to feed the seal fish which he tossed in the air for the seal to catch. It made Callum wish Ezran was here, his little brother always got along splendidly with animals. They also watched the Mermaid Queen play the harp. She wasn't a real mermaid but rather a courtesan who often played sweet music for the general public. She was called the Mermaid Queen due to the fact her dress was made out of golden scales interlocked together like scale mail armor. She had recognized Callum in the crowd and spoke to him briefly, requesting that he paint her portrait. He had accepted due to both the need for more money after his earlier shopping and the fact that she was so beautiful that he wanted to challenge himself to capture that beauty upon a canvas.

After that, they had watched several mummer shows with a few standouts such as 'The Bear and the Maiden' and 'Florian the Fool'. The real entertainment came when the people hosting the plays recognized Callum as the Prince of Katolis and they scrambled to put on a special show for him. The performance was called 'The Warrior Queens' a play that depicted the fateful journey that his mother had set out on with his stepfather and the Queens of Duren to slay the magma titan and bring back its heart. They did a good job depicting the heroism and tragedy of the story, albeit with some creative liberties such as the Queens and King having to fight an army of lava monsters to reach the titan. The lava monsters being men in costume and the titan being a giant puppet they rolled out on stage. It depicted the sacrifice of the Three Queens in as heroic light as one was able to and Callum was surprised that he enjoyed the show as much as he did. He ended up going up to the performers afterward and offering them his compliments as well as a golden royal to each performer as a tip.

"You okay Callum?" Claudia asked from across the table. "You seem...contemplative?"

"Just thinking about the mummer show we saw earlier," Callum replied honestly. "I wasn't aware that my mother was the main subject of an entire play."

"It was rather good," Aaravos said unbidden, the Startouch elf had been quiet for most of the day after he had advised Callums on what clothes to buy. Callum was grateful for the elf's silence since he couldn't reply to anything the elf said when he was surrounded by other people. "I liked the fact that the man playing Lord Viren looked like a child molester in a robe, it was a fairly accurate depiction."

It took all of Callum's discipline to not laugh and instead focus on Claudia. He hated it when his teacher tried to make him laugh in front of others.

"She is actually the main subject of several plays," Claudia said, blissfully unaware of the insults being directed at her father. "I hear she is a popular figure in Duren since she sacrificed herself alongside Duren's Queens so that the kingdom was saved from starvation."

"Queen Sarai be popular even here," Villads spoke up. "All the Kingdoms were at risk during that famine. Duren be the breadbasket of the Human Kingdoms. Del Bar be a harsh land where people only have just enough to get by, even during the summer. Neolandia is mostly desert, and even here in Evenere we be eating mostly seafood and need grain and fruits from the mainland. If Duren hadn't had that extended summer...I shudder to think how many would have died across all the kingdoms..."

Callum nodded thoughtfully as he soaked in that information. "Surprised I've never heard of any of those plays until today," Callum said. "I want to take Ezran to one someday." His brother had no memories of their mother, he would enjoy learning more about her in such an entertaining way.

"I heard from my dad that your step-dad has forbidden any of those plays from being shown in the castle. " Soren said, shaking his head. "In fact, there really hasn't been much celebrating in the castle for the last four years."

There was an uncomfortable truth in that statement and Callum knew why that was. His mother had loved plays, mummers, singers, and various other revelry. When he first moved into the castle as a boy there was always a singer, harpist, or jester entertaining them at dinner or at court. After his mother's death, the castle had grown eerily quiet, perhaps the sound of music and mummers made his mother's ghost come to life for Harrow.

"How are you feeling after seeing the play?" Claudia asked sincerely.

"I'm fine." It was a mostly true statement. "If anything I'm happy that my mother and the Queens of Duren are remembered. Now enough of this sad talk, what did you guys think of the Far Harbor? You went off shopping for a bit on your own."

Soren smiled and set a jeweled dagger on the table. "Got you a birthday present." He said as Callum accepted the dagger from the older boy.

"You're supposed to wait until the feast tonight before giving gifts!" Claudia yelled, scolding her brother. "Not to mention the fact you didn't even wrap it..."

"Its fine Claudia." Callum inspected the dagger with a fair bit of admiration. He wasn't an expert on weapons but he knew this one was well made. "Thank you Soren." he attached the dagger to his belt, it never hurt to have a sidearm.

Not much else was said as a woman came out of the inn with their food. Everyone ate except for Soren and Claudia who claimed to have eaten earlier. As Callum dug into his deep-fried frog's legs the serving woman set down a bowl of strange-looking soup in front of him as well as bowl for each of his friends. The liquid in the bowl was almost transparent yet smelled strange, like alcohol.

"That be rice wine," Villads said, seeing Callum's confusion. "Figured ye could all use a bowl of the stuff, the best drink you can get in Evenere."

"You drink wine from bowls here?" Soren asked as he inspected the bowl in front of him. "That's...really weird."

Callum tentatively raised the bowl to his lips and took a sip and swallowed it.

He promptly began to cough violently as his throat was set on fire.

"That'll put some hair on yer chest and netherregions eh lad?" Villads laughed as Corvus patted Callums back in an attempt to soothe his coughing.

"Wimp," Soren muttered as he took a sip of his own rice wine. Which caused him to cough even more violently then Callum to the point where he fell off his chair.

"What do you put in this swill?" Claudia asked as she gazed at the wine suspiciously. "This stuff is so strong you could strip the paint off a ship with it."

Lizzie laughed and even Silent Jack laughed, although without a tongue his laugh came out as a strange sort of hoarse cackle. "It's always fun to watch you highborn Katolians choke on real alchohol. This is rice wine, not that weak grape stuff you highborn drink. The only thing that can match it is Del Barian vodka, Duren brandy or Neolandian Tequila, although that stuff is rank." Lizzie pointed out.

"You have it then." Callum managed once his throat stopped burning, he pushed the bowl towards Lizzie who picked it up and drank the entire thing in a few deep gulps after which she slammed the bowl down and flashed him a triumphant smile, although with her razor-sharp teeth it came off as more of a threatening smile.

Any further discussion about the strength of Evenere rice wine was brought to a halt when they saw a ship pulling in near them. The Dead Eel tavern was located as close to the docks of the Far harbor as any building would allow so they were practically eating their meal on the water.

The ship that was pulling in looked like it had been through hell. The sails had holes in them, the hull was cracked in several places and it overall looked like it could barely stay afloat. Men on the docks were running around growling out commands. Callum saw a horse-pulled wagon fly by where they were eating before it settled near the dock where the ship was going to moor itself. The wagon was alrge and in its back were enormous wooden barrels.

"Oh no," Villads muttered as he got up from his feet. "That be a wagon of Everflame."

"Eveneres best ship weapons?" Claudia asked in disbelief. "Why would they have that here?"

Callum had heard of Everflame, it was a type of volatile liquid that Evenere used in war. It burned hotter then any natural fire and couldn't be put out with water, water instead fueled the flames. The only thing that could put it out was sand, vinegar, or urine. He had learned in his history classes that Evenere would use the substance in naval battles and it ensured their military superiority on the seas, their own ships were immune to the flame due to the black paint that Evenere painted all their ships with. Other nation's ships went up in flames within seconds of getting hit by the Everflame, even the elven navy couldn't stand up to it. He had heard that Evenere even had a type of 'flamethrower' that shot the liquid at their enemies from the decks of their ships.

He watched as the wagon unloaded a long hose that several men took hold of. The hose was attached to the barrels in the back of the wagon. Using a siphon they began to shoot out Everflame which in its liquid state was strange emerald green in color and it shot out of the hose in a massive stream and coated the ship. The liquid covered the ship as it came to dock and one of the men shot a flaming arrow at the ship which caused it to burst into emerald flames.

"What the hell are they doing?" Corvus asked as he got up and stood protectively in front of Callum. "Why would they burn a visiting ship?"

"Plague..." Villads muttered, his usual jovial voice gone. "That ship be carrying the plague, standard procedure is to burn em before it can spread to the city. I recognize it now, that be the 'Shadow Chaser' a mercenary ship that travels to Xadia and poaches magical animals to sell to the College of Enchanters. Must have brought more then magical creatures back with em."

Callum felt a chill go through his body. A ship called Shadow Chaser carrying plague. He suddenly found himself remembering the leviathans warning from earlier.

The docks were in chaos as people fled and soldiers came forward armed with bows and crossbows as well as spears. The now burning ship lowered its gangplank and it managed to land upon the docks. Several people ran from the ship and over the gangplank to the docks below, a few of them were on fire, yet as they reached dock they were either shot with arrows or cut down by the guards who promptly set their bodies on fire.

Callum saw that the men running from the ship were definitely infected with something. Their skin was pale and they had blood flowing from their eyes like tears. This was the first time he had ever seen such violence and he found himself...numb. He should be afraid or horrified yet he felt nothing. After the things he had seen in his dreams, this was tame by comparison.

"Apprentice, you need to run now," Aaravos spoke up, breaking his long silence.

"We should be fine though right?" He asked to both Villads and Aaaravos. "They're burning the ship so-"

"Rats!" A man called out in the distance.

Callum watched and saw that while the ship was burning numerous rats were coming out of its hull. Many were jumping into the water and swimming for shore while others scurried down the gangplank of the ship where soldiers tried their best to kill them. But the vermin were fast and quick and managed to avoid their human enemies and scurry away to safety.

"Those are Xadian bull rats from the swamps of Evermarsh," Aaravos observed, his usual calm voice etched with something akin to fear. "It is a terrible place filled with foul magic, the only elves who can live there are swamp elves who are distant kin to ocean elves. Xadian bull rats are notorious disease carriers." He turned to Callum." Apprentice, take your friends and run!"

Before Callum could say anything he felt a strong arm grab a hold of him and soon he was being dragged away by Corvus as Villads and his crew led Claudia and Soren away from the chaos.

"We need ta get ye back to the palace!" Villads yelled over the chaos that surrounded them. "Get to the boat quick!"

Callum looked behind him and saw the rats scurrying around the docks and going into various buildings. There was no way all of them would be caught, they would breed and multiply.

"Worst. Birthday. Ever…." Callum muttered as the city descended into chaos around him.

* * *

Harrow aimed the rifle and squeezed the trigger, the noise that followed along with the recoil was loud and strong but he bore it and watched as he hit the target dead center. He was in the middle of the castle courtyard where the game master had set a makeshift shooting range so that he could try out the new weapons that Viren was creating. It was a good way to blow off some steam.

He really needed it right now.

"Reload." He said as he tossed the weapon to a nearby Corwnguard soldier who caught it clumsily. Harrow turned to a nearby table that held several of the 'guns' that Viren had designed. He grabbed one that some soldiers had taken to calling a 'blunderbuss' which shot numerous small bits of shrapnel rather then a single lead ball. He hefted the large weapon and aimed it at a larger target and unloaded it. The weapon recoiled heavily but he managed to keep it steady. Much to his satisfaction, the straw dummy which was the target fell apart after getting hit by the full force of the blunderbuss.

"Reload," Harrow said as he tried to hand the blunderbuss to the soldier. "And hand me the rifle."

"I'm not done yet, just a moment your majesty." The Soldier muttered as he tried to load the powder down the barrel of the rifle.

Harrow tempered flared as he tossed the blunderbuss aside and grabbed the rifle from the man and finished reloading it himself in only a few seconds. "If you cant reload my weapons go and get me some wine." He growled out which made the soldier run off to the kitchens.

"Taking out your anger on the soldiers again?" Virens voice called out as the man walked into the castle courtyard. "You need to relax."

"Relax?" Harrow asked his voice turning cold. "That is your advice? My son is trapped in a city ravaged by the plague and your advice is for me to relax?"

It had been six months since they last had contact with Evenere. Queen Fareeda had ordered a blockade around the city. No ships were allowed in or out until the plague ran its course. That had been six months ago with no solid news on what was going on in the city. They heard that green fire could be seen in the distance, probably the dead being burned. He just hoped that Callum wasn't among those bodies.

"I should never have agreed to your plan," Harrow growled as he walked away from the shooting range. "Sending him to the other kingdoms was a bad idea."

"No one could have predicted this." Viren pointed out. "Easy to blame me in hindsight, besides I'm sure Prince Callum and the others are safe in the palace far away from the plague."

"No one is safe from disease, it kills indiscriminately whether the victim is rich or poor, a commoner or a noble," Harrow said. "I should have sent a fleet to retrieve him." There were times he was tempted to, the Katolian navy was moderate in size but strong. Strong enough to break through a blockade and rescue his stepson.

"Queen Fareeda would have set your ships aflame before they could reach the docks." Viren pointed out. "Even if you did manage to evacuate Prince Callum it might have resulted in you bringing the plague here. All we can do is wait for it to run its course."

"It has been six months already with no news." Harrow let out a tired sigh. "Some people are saying that a third of the population of the city could be dead by now." He shook his head. "As you lit Sarais funeral pyre all those years ago I promised her that I would protect her sons. But all I've managed to do is deliver one of them to a plague-ridden city..." Sometimes he dreamed of Sarai, her eyes were cold and judgemental, asking him why he failed her son...it made him avoid his bed as often as possible.

"I know this must be hard for you-"

"You dont know!" Harrow yelled, his temper flaring. "You could never understand..."

"I actually do understand," Viren replied, his voice as hard as steel. "In case you've forgotten, I sent both of my children along with your stepson. Not a second goes by where I dont worry about them, but we need to have faith. Claudia and Prince Callum are clever, they will find a way through this. As for Soren...he is too bullheaded to die from something as mundane as a plague. The boy won't settle for anything less then a glorious death in combat against a dragon or something equally strong."

Hearing his friend's words cooled Harrow's temper somewhat. In his obsession with his stepson's safety, he often forgot that Viren had two children in that city, twice as much to lose. "I suppose so. I just feel like I'm letting Sarai down..."

"I dont mean to sound insensitive but at least Sarai isn't around to send you venomous letters." Viren let out a tired sigh and shook his head. "I made the mistake of informing my ex-wife about Claudia and Soren's journey. After she heard our children were stuck in a plague-ridden city she has been sending me crow messages non-stop. None of the messages positive. She has such a colorful vocabulary, especially when it's being used to insult and curse me."

"I can only imagine what she's been writing to you. She has that Del Barian Berserker temper." Harrow didn't envy his friend position anymore then his own. "I dont suppose you've heard any more news from Evenere?"

"None, I've sent out numerous messages but none have been returned." Viren shook his head. "They might be refusing to send out crow messages out of fear of spreading the plague, crows can carry disease as easily as rats in some cases."

"Any chance of creating a cure?"

"Not without me being there to see exactly what the plague is," Viren grunted. "I have half a mind to sneak into the city. If I was there I might have a chance of creating a cure, but with the blockade...our only hope is the college of enchanters finding a solution. The branch in Evenere is rather good at dealing with disease, the swamps on that island are riddled with them. Then again it has already been six months..."

The soldier returned with a skin of wine which Harrow took and drained in one long swig, he then tossed the skin back to the soldier and sent the boy away. "There's nothing we can do except pray," Harrow said, unhappy with the circumstances he found himself in. "This is a disaster."

"It is not ideal." Viren agreed. "The few bits of gossip I've heard coming out of Evenere are not encouraging. The plague causes the victim to weep blood out of their eyes, as they slowly die. I've also heard that the rats that carried the plague are some sort of Xadian breed, extremely dangerous. People are calling it the Red Death or The Weeping Plague."

"Any good news?" Harrow asked, his spirit sinking. "Anything at all? It need not be related to the plague." he needed something to lift his spirits.

"None on the topic of Evenere but progress is being made in our weapons development," Viren replied. "Some of the scientists I have working on the weapon have created some unique designs. Fire rockets, fire lances, and numerous other things. Most are too impractical for actual warfare but the concepts could lead to something useful. For now, our best weapons are the guns that the Neolandians created, with some of our modern engineering we can make them far more accurate and potent. Even more so then the ones you were just using."

Harrow nodded, pleased that progress was being made. He had no intention of going into a battle with half-baked equipment. He had pulled back some of his forces from the front lines to have them do mock training drills with the new weapons. Mostly to see how they would be used in practical warfare, this was an entirely new game that they were playing now. "I'll leave you to it then, for now, I need to rest." He left his friend's side and walked into the castle. As he walked through the halls of the castle he couldn't help but feel like it was empty. He knew it was his imagination but for some reason, Callum's absence had made the castle feel empty despite the fact the boy rarely left his own room.

Harrow walked towards his study, fully intent on getting some paperwork done and maybe get a small glass of Duren brandy from one of his office drawers but when he went into his office he found Ezran sitting behind his work desk, munching on several jelly tarts.

His son looked up and gave him a nervous smile as he picked up one of the sweet treats and offered it to him. "Jelly tart?' He offered innocently as only a five-year-old could manage.

Harrow walked over to his desk and accepted the offered treat but gave his son a stern gaze. "Considering the fact that it's not yet time for dinner, I'm guessing you stole these am I right?" The head chef had been complaining about Ezran's antics since the boy often snuck into the kitchens to get dessert long before dinner was even prepared.

"We own the kitchens...so it's not stealing" Ezran offered weakly. "Also it was mostly Baits' idea." He pointed to the corner of the room and Harrow saw that his son's pet glow toad was eating several jelly tarts in the corner of the room. The glow toad was a new addition to the family, he had gotten it for Ezran after Callum had left in hopes that a pet would help Ezran adapt to life without his brother.

"First off the kitchens are mine because I wear this crown." He pointed to the golden crown the encircled his head. "And second if the pet I got for you is leading you astray perhaps I should take him away. I can't have a glow toad being a bad influence on my son."

"Fine, it was my idea, although Bait did help." Ezran pouted as he got down from his chair and walked over to his pet, scooping the toad up into his arms. "Also the jelly tarts are best eaten hot. By the time we eat them after dinner they are all cold and stuff. The jelly isn't even soft anymore."

His son did have a small point but as his father Harrow knew he had to try to instill a little bit of discipline. "Well since you've already eaten dessert you won't need anymore later tonight." He ignored Ezran's puppy dog eyes and continued. "Also if you have enough free time to steal Jelly tarts perhaps I should schedule more time for you to get tutored."

The boy didn't like that one bit. "It's not my fault there's nothing to do," Ezran complained as he sat down on the floor with Bait cuddled in his lap. "You sent everyone away and left me here alone, what am I supposed to do in my free time? Callum is gone along with Claudia and Soren. I heard from the servants that they might not be coming back..." Tears began to roll down his cheeks as he began to cry. "They say they might be...be..."

Harrow scooped his son up into his arms and held the boy close. Ezran was small for his age so it was easy to carry the child. He felt his son's tears leave a wet spot on his doublet. "Callum is fine Ezran, and so is Soren and Claudia." Not a lie but not the truth either. He hoped that they were okay. "They just go delayed in Evenere. They will be back soon."

"But the servants were saying-"

"-servants like to gossip." Harrow soothed. "Callum will be back soon."

"You said that months ago..."

"Things got complicated, but your brother is fine." Harrow held Ezran closer. "Once things have calmed down in Evenere I intend to have him come back home."

"You promise?"

Harrow felt his heart clench upon hearing those words, he had broken too many promises to his loved ones. "I promise." He said in an attempt to calm his son down and offer the boy some comfort.

He hoped it was a promise he would be able to keep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Authors note
> 
> Alright...this chapter is over 16000 words so please forgive me if there are mistakes. It's hard to edit a chapter this large, even Grammarly has difficulty loading a chapter this large. I wanted to break this thing up[ into 5000 words chapters but...it just wouldn't flow right.
> 
> Now...That bit about Aaravos talking about primal sources that are more primal then the six sources is actually taken from an interview that the creators did recently. It's on youtube, go to cartoon-universe youtube channel to watch it. They answer so many questions and explain a great deal about Aaravos. Apparently he will make a great speech about the nature of magic...in season 5 according to them. I'm still impatiently waiting for season 3 so there is no way in hell I am waiting until season 5 to figure out Aaravos's motivations. So I'm just going to start making stuff up.
> 
> I know Elarion is a city, but I decided to have it named after a woman who was a student of Aaravos. Taking some creative liberties here, so please keep that in mind.
> 
> I appreciate all of your reviews and welcome your criticism. But one criticism I receive and wish to address is the way I write children. I write their dialogue like an adult, which is true. In all honesty, I do not have children, nor do I hang out around children so I have no idea how they speak. Nor is it something I want to research. I can't exactly go down to the park and ask a random family if I can hang out with their kid. Not unless I want the police to drag me away.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please leave a review or comment if you can. I'm always willing to answer questions.


	9. Chapter 9

The sun was high above Evenere yet little to no light made it down to Callum or any of his cohorts as they sailed through Eveneres canals. Callum breathed in through the mask he wore and looked up at the midday sky and saw the clouds were heavy and dark, not from rain but from ash and smoke that had drifted up from the city.

"This city..." Callum muttered as he gazed at the city around him, his eyes soaking in the devastation and ruin.

Evenere was the closest thing to hell that Callum ever hoped he would see. a city that had once seemed so beautiful six months ago now looked like a hellscape from a terrible nightmare. It brought to mind words his teacher had once told him not too long ago.

' _The only hell is the one we live in now.'_

' _I hate it when that sparkly elf is right.'_ Callum thought grimly as the boat drifted through the canals with its oars dipped in and out of the water. The water itself glowed green from the fires that burned day and night as the alchemists from the college of enchanters burned the dead with Everflame. Not just the dead but numerous houses both wood and stone burned as infested buildings were set on fire by Queen Fareedas soldiers, making the city look like a hellscape as flames perpetually lit it and the smoke kept the sun from shining bright.

So much had happened in the last six months it made Callum's head spin. After the plague had come the Queen had ordered Callum, Soren, and Claudia to depart the city, but by the time they reached the Green harbor, it had already been overrun by rats carrying the plague. When the escape was impossible Queen Fareeda had her admirals and all ships that hadn't been infested to form a blockade around the city to ensure that no citizen left, for fear of spreading the plague to mainland Evenere or the other four kingdoms at large.

The Plague went by many names such as _The Bite, The Red Death_ , Or the _Weeping Plague_. An infected person developed cold and flu-like symptoms first, then they would begin to cough up blood, then blood would begin leaking from the eyes like red tears. The gestation period of the disease was random. Some people died within a day, others lingered weeks, sometimes over a month before succumbing. The ones who lasted longer were the unlucky ones since their brains were effected and they went mad, attacking anyone they saw in a rage-induced madness. Most were put down mercifully before it came to that.

The plague itself was strange in its transmission and could be contracted in numerous ways. The main way was being bitten by a rat that carried the plague, being exposed to blood and guts from infected rats or people, and breathing in the air filled with a foul miasma from infected corpses. Aaravos claimed the plague originated from Xadia so it was partially magical which no doubt was the cause of its strange and rapid spread as well as the reason for the numerous ways it could be transferred.

Callum once again adjusted his mask and cursed its existence. After the initial outbreak of the plague, Aaravos went to work immediately in keeping Callum safe from the disease. His teacher went to work at once creating a strange mask that he claimed could protect one from inhaling foul miasma and other foulness that could lead to sickness. The mask itself was made of steel and It had two circular glass openings in the eyes and a curved beak shaped like that of a bird where the mouth of the mask was, as well as a set of strong leather straps that held the mask in position. The beak of the mask was hollow the insides of the beak were inscribed with runes that purified the air entering the mask, The beak of the mask also allowed for the insertion of herbs and other reagents that his teacher claimed would fuel the earth runes and allow the purification process.

Callum adjusted the mask once more and scratched at the area around his face where the metal met flesh. Just because it kept him safe didn't mean he liked it, it was extremely uncomfortable. After his teacher gave it to him he shared its design with the Queen and she had them made en-mass. Not all of them were as high quality as his own but they seemed to help with resisting the plague since the number of infected individuals dropped significantly after they were distributed to the Queen's soldiers and the population at large.

It was probably the only reason they hadn't all died yet. The plague had spread rapidly in the first few days. A person would wake up as strong as an ox in the morning and by nightfall, they would be coughing up blood and be bleeding from the eyes. The masks had helped people get sick from breathing in miasma filled air but people were still getting sick since the rats got into everything and multiplied at an alarming rate, biting and spreading their foulness wherever they went. Not to mention they grew extremely aggressive when they were present in large numbers, attacking people as a swarm. Callum had heard some guards say that those swarms devoured men whole but he wasn't sure if he believed them or not. The rats themselves were nocturnal so during the day it was safe enough to walk the streets but at night they came out. If not for Fareeda having guard squads patrolling the streets at night with everflame torches and flame bombs the streets might well have been overwhelmed.

Yet with people still dying by the score every single day it made Callum wonder if all he and his teacher had managed to do was slow down the city's death. The search for a cure proved fruitless thus far. Half the College of Enchanters had fallen victim to the plague in their attempts to find a cure. His teacher and himself had tried but without access to proper resources, it was impossible.

Which is why he found himself miserably sailing through Eveneres once-majestic canals on a boat that was headed to the Drowned Town, a part of the city that had long since sunk and become a haven for numerous creatures that had taken up residence in the sunken town.

"Would someone please tell me why we are sailing to a miserable half-sunken ruin?" Soren asked, his voice muffled by his own plague mask which was made from steel. The older boy was no longer wearing his heavy Katolian plate armor but instead wore the green leather armor that Eveneres guards wore. Although he still chose to wield a bastard sword rather then the slim blades of Eveneres duelists.

Claudia let out a frustrated huff, her own plague mask was black to match her clothes. "We are going to look for reagents to cure this plague. It kills every human and land animal yet creatures of the sea are unaffected. The Drowned part of the city has the largest concentration of animals resistant to the plague. Crocodiles, fish, mollusks, and all sorts of other creatures aren't affected at all."

Callum nodded to himself upon hearing his friend's words. Every animal died from the plague with the only exception being the rats that spread the plague and the creatures of the sea. His teacher had been the first to notice it which is what led him to believe that in some way the plague was magical in nature and had been intentionally introduced to Evenere. Aaravos believed it to be a cruel retaliation by the Swamp Elves of Evermarsh, according to his teacher they were a nasty sort of elf and disliked even by other elves.

"So what?" Soren grunted as he tried to understand. "We eat nothing but seafood nowadays and people still get sick and die." It was a true statement, the only consistent form of food that people could get was seafood. Fish, shellfish, and other creatures from the canals and sea were the only reliable source of food with a blockade stopping any incoming ships. There were a few unmanned mercy barges that were floated into the city but those were few and far between.

Despite her face being hidden by her plague mask, Callum could tell Claudia was rolling her eyes. "It's not enough to eat a plague, resistant creature. We need to use their resistance to create a cure. I believe with dark magic that I can take the lifeforce from a plague resistant creature and imbue it into a person, making them resistant to the disease."

Callum looked over to his side where his teacher's incorporeal specter hovered. The Startouch elf met his gaze and shook his head. "Theoretically possible, but you would need fairly large amounts of magical energy from a creature to make it work. It's a fine solution if you're trying to cure a handful of people but to save a city? It's not a practical idea. My idea for a homeopathic solution is more practical. Alchemy and science together form a type of magic all their own. All I need is a few fresh specimens to distill an elixir that will allow people to fight off the disease using their own magic given immune systems."

Over the last few months, he had been helping his teacher create a cure in a makeshift lab they set up in the tower back at the palace. If it wasn't for the pressure of finding a cure quickly to save lives Callum might have found the work fun since alchemy was something he was somewhat decent at and with each passing day he got better at it under Aaravos's instruction. But with so many lives on the line, Callum felt mostly stress and pressure to find a cure.

"Bodies in the canal!" One of the soldiers at the helm of the boat called out, drawing Callum from his musings.

Villads gestured towards several soldiers on deck. "Archers get ready!" he ordered as men scrambled to obey him.

Callum watched as the archers dipped the tips of their arrows into a basin full of everflame in the center of the deck of the ship. Fire arrows were impossible with normal oil since the fire would burn out after the arrow was shot, but a thin coating of everflame could burn for upwards of an hour even if it was subjected to strong wind. The archers went over to the sides of the ship and began firing their arrows into the water.

Callum looked over and saw that there were indeed dead bodies. A year ago he would have freaked out but now...he just felt numb. He watched as the flaming arrows did their job and soon the bodies were burning brightly, the water having no effect on the alchemical fire's strength.

"Look away, Your Majesty," Corvus said, putting a hand on Callum's shoulder in an attempt to lead the prince away from the railing.

Callum chuckled and shook his shoulder free of the older man's grasp. "Its fine Corvus, I've seen far worse things then a few burning bodies."

"That's not a good thing," Corvus muttered as he looked at Soren, Claudia, and Callum. "You three shouldn't be here. If anything were to happen to any of you..."

Claudia let out a humorless chuckle. "Without us, it would just be Pierro here and he can't instruct all of you on what to grab. Face it Corvus, if a cure isn't found soon we will all be weeping blood. Most of the College of Enchanters is dead and those that remain are too terrified to find a cure, afraid of catching the plague themselves. Pierro, Callum and I are the best chance this city has. My father taught me all he knew about magical plagues and Callum...I have no doubt he will somehow manage to pull something out of his ass like how he managed with these masks."

Claudia's words made Callum inwardly flinch. His friend was getting increasingly suspicious of him when he unveiled his plague mask to the Queen, Claudia had bombarded him with questions, none of which he managed to answer to Claudia's satisfaction even with Aaravos whispering into his ear the entire time.

_'How do the runes work?'_

_'How do they purify the air entering the mask?'_

_'How long have you known about these things?'_

_'Where did you learn this stuff?'_

_'May I see the books that you've been reading?'_

Ever since she asked those things Claudia had been watching him like a hawk. Corvus had caught her trying to sneak into his room several times. It was making their few interactions rather tense. Only half a year ago they had been friends but now….he wasn't sure what they were anymore. Soren followed his sister's example not out of distrust of Callum but out of a brotherly obedience to Claudia. They rarely talked anymore.

"We be coming upon the drowned town!" Villads called out from the helm of the ship. Several captains had died ion the plague so Villads had been promoted and was often in charge of ferrying Callum and his companions around the city whenever they were let out of the palace. Although technically Pierro was the man in charge of this mission with him being Fareeda's court mage and the highest-ranking member of the local College of Enchanters still alive.

"This is it, people." Pierro broke his silent vigil at the front of the ship and turned to the assembled crew. "We go in, grab any types of creatures and plants we can find and leave. This place has been abandoned for years so its a cornucopia of magical reagents just waiting to be harvested."

Callum looked at the man, he was short being a little over five feet tall and his usually mousy features were hidden by his own plague mask which was white. He wore robes like any other mage but what fascinated Callum most was a small staff-like walking stick with a glowing red orb at its tip. His teacher claimed it was a Sun Primal stone, which held the power of the sun within it.

"A sinking town is a dangerous place," Pierro called out, drawing Callums attention back to what the man was saying. "Callum and Claudia both know what to look for, you will all follow their orders and protect them with your lives. We will split up into three groups and scour the sunken town."

Callum looked at the drowned town and saw it was just that, a large island which once held an entire town until the island sank into the lagoon, since then the half-sunk buildings had become home to all manner of creatures. Hopefully one of those creatures held the key to a cure.

Villads ordered boats lowered, the boat they had sailed in on was rather large so they would need to take smaller boats to safely dock with the ruined buildings. Several dozen men and women got to work in getting the boats into the water as people got ready to disembark. Callum made it a point to wait until Soren and Claudia got into a boat so that he could make sure he took another one.

Callum got into his own boat along with Corvus and several other sailors and soon they were rowing their way to the sunken town. The waters around them were black, a result of so much ash falling on the water from all the fires that burned day and night. As the oarsman rowed them closer to the sunken town Callum inspected his equipment once more making sure he had everything he needed for this journey. He had both his primal stones, although he only needed the sky one, many specimen jars and numerous other small tools.

Next to the boat, Aaravos's specter walked upon the water of the canal, watching Callum as he inspected his gear and occasionally double checking things himself.

"Remember that we need living specimens," Aaravos stated. "I can't study how they resist the plague if they are dead."

Callum nodded, not wanting to speak for fear of appearing crazy in front of the others. Satisfied with his equipment he allowed himself to relax for the moment before they reached the shore.

"Why have you been avoiding your friends?" Corvus asked, shattering Callum's momentary relaxation. The older man looked at the other boat where Claudia and Soren were. "You guys have a fight?"

Callum had tom resist sighing upon hearing his bodyguards question. "Its nothing you need to worry about Corvus, this whole plague situation just has us on edge is all." In truth, he hated everything about his situation. Not just the plague but life in general. He had to keep so many secrets from his friends and family that they were slowly slipping away. Everything about the situation was terrible, the life-ending plague simply amplified it all to a ridiculous extreme.

"So on edge that lady Claudia feels the need to sneak into your room?" Corvus asked. "If you were older I would suspect there was something going on, but you're both too young for that sort of thing so I suspect there's something else. Unless it is a bit of a romantic late-night rendezvous? Next time she breaks in should I let her await you in your bedchamber, Your Grace?"

Callum usually liked Corvus's sharp tongue but tonight he had no patience for it. He gave the older man as stern a look as he could through the eyeholes of his plague mask.

"Just be quiet and do your duty and we might survive this plague...and if Claudia breaks into my room again you have my permission to throw her into the canal."

* * *

Rayla followed Runaan through the Moonhenge, it was one of the many dotted around Xadia and the first one she had ever visited. Giant stones stood tall and proud with numerous runes carved into them along with various symbols that depicted the many phases of the moon. Around them stone pathways that looked like they were made by nature rather then elf allowed one passage through the henge, above them the sky was bright as the full moon beamed down around them shattering the hold of darkness upon the land.

This place was as sacred as any place could be to a Moonshadow elf, yet rather then reverence and silent respect she should be feeling all she could feel was excitement. It took all of her energy not to hop and skip through the henge like a child.

She would be getting her first real Lunarsteel weapon from the Moonforge that existed at the heart of this sacred place. Lunarsteel was one of the strongest but also lightest types of metal her people could create. It was strong enough to stand up to a Sunforged blade, but also light enough that it could be forged thin and be used to create weapons that could fold out, shift, and transform by using clever engineering such as fold-out swords that could shift into hooks.

"Ease up on the smiling Rayla," Runaan ordered sternly although Rayla could see a ghost of a smile upon his face. "We are merely getting you measured for your first weapon, it will only be for training and you will outgrow it soon enough. It does not make you an assassin or special."

Rayla continued to smile. "But I'm the only one in the training group that's getting one of these weapons aren't I?" She asked smugly, she was faster, stronger, and simply better then anyone else being trained in her age group. She was even better then many of the older assassins in training.

"You are the only one." Runaan allowed reluctantly. "But that also means you will be held to a higher standard then that of your peers. Also, many of them have only just begun training whereas you have been training for this your entire life."

"I can see your point." Rayla couldn't argue with that, ever since she was able to stand up she had been training to be a fighter of some kind. She had always looked up to her parents, both of whom served in the Dragon Guard, the highest honor an elf could achieve. She knew that she wanted to be like them one day. There were many traits looked for in the Dragon Guard, you needed, speed, strength, dexterity, and you had to prove your loyalty and worth. Being a Moonshadow assassin made all of those qualities possible more so that any other career path.

The rest of the walk was made in silence until they reached the Moonforge. It looked like a regular blacksmith forge except all the equipment shone bright white, marking it as being made of Lunarsteel. It also wasn't uncomfortably hot like other smithies she had been to despite the fact there was working going in every corner with apprentices hammering away on various workstations, all of the forge fire burning bright white fire.

The Forgemaster came out, he was as buff as any Moonshadow elf Rayla had ever seen, a veritable mountain of meat. Yet all his movements were as graceful as a dancer, he walked so lightly that even her trained hearing couldn't hear him make a sound. The Forgemaster greeted them politely and when Runaan explained what they were here for he frowned.

"She's a bit young isn't she?" The elf asked as he gave Rayla an assessing look. "I didn't realize we were training them so young...especially for the role of Assassin."

"She is eleven." Runaan pointed out. "Also you should know better then anyone that the Dragons are preparing for the worst."

"The Dragons give the order and we all jump to obey. My apprentices and I have barely gotten any rest, every phase of the moon we have been working non-stop." The Forgemaster let out a dry humorless chuckle. "A couple of Startouch Seers see a war on the horizon and everyone scrambles like a bunch of frightened mice, even our mighty Dragon Overlords..."

"The Dragon Council is certain of what is to come, they have led us wisely for centuries."

"But they can be wrong just like anyone else." The Forgemaster replied with a tired sigh. "But it's not my job to tell you how to raise your kid, let's get her measured for a weapon."

Rayla stood still as the Forgemaster got out a bit of measuring tape and measured...everything about her. Her arm length, width, size of her legs, even the length of her horns. She wanted to ask what he was measuring that for but Runaan gave her a look that told her to be quiet. Soon the elf was done and put away his measuring tape.

The Forgemaster nodded thoughtfully as he looked her over one last time. "Alright, I got what I need. What type of weapon did you want me to make for her?"

"A bow-sword like Runaan's!" Rayla said before Runaan could answer for her. "Or a spear that folds into a sword that also shoots blasts of moon energy at my enemies!"

"Sure." The Forgemaster replied. "Would you also like a bow that shoots rainbows? Or perhaps a sword sheath that dispenses candy?"

"You can make those?" Rayla asked, her eyes glowing with excitement at the very prospect.

Magic really was amazing.

The elf shook his head. "This is what I mean by too young." The Forgemaster grunted at Runaan who had his face in his hands to hide his embarrassment.

Runaan recovered and quickly got control of the situation. "She will want Twin Blades, the ones that can fold out for quick and are easy use for climbing ledges," Runaan said before grabbing Rayla's shoulder and leading her away from the forge.

"Go out and explore the Moonhenge Rayla, I will remain here to see that your weapon is made properly," Runaan said it kindly but she could see it was an order and not a request.

Rayla looked at the man who had been raising her for all these years while her parents were busy protecting the dragons. "Cant I stay and watch?"

"No," Runaan ordered sternly. "Its a fairly boring process to make Lunarsteel, also it's a secret one that only adults are allowed to see. You will also only get in the way, this is a forge, not a playground. Go out and explore the Moonhenge for a few hours, but remember that this is a sacred place so be respectful. If you grow bored you can go to the Lunar Lodge and rest in our room there."

Rayla saw that her adoptive uncle wouldn't budge on the matter so she turned and walked down the cobbles of the Moonhenge and wondered exactly what there was to do in such a place.

After nearly twenty minutes of exploring the answer was that there was nothing a person could do without being disrespectful in some way.

There were numerous ponds that bordered on being small lakes but those glowed white with energy from the moon so swimming was out of the question. Even if it was allowed she hated swimming, the water had always scared her ever since...Rayla shook those thoughts from her head as she thought about other options.

She continued to explore and saw the Moonhenge was filled with beautiful trees with silver leaves, gardens filled with flowers that bloomed only when the moon was full such as a night like this, but after a few minutes of looking at such things they grew boring. Even the people were boring. It was mostly priests and priestesses all dressed in white going about their business in silent reverence of the moon above them. She saw some Moonshadow Illusionists training in one glade as they summoned forth illusions that were beautiful beyond description as well as others that were so horrifying they made Rayla shiver. Not wanting to be scarred for life she decided to leave the Illusionists to their illusions and try to find something else to do.

Rayla ran through the glade, allowing her arms to hang behind her limply as she enjoyed the night air, the full moon always made her feel energetic so she decided to at least train her stamina by running to the outskirts of the Moonhenge where her training wouldn't be seen as disrespectful. She eventually found herself in a secluded glade on the outskirts of the Moonhenge. There were small ponds here and what seemed to be a simple garden. The trees were silver and the flowers glowed white with the energy of the moon but it seemed more...natural compared to the planned gardens that she had seen earlier. It didn't feel sacred. "Its nothing but flowers, stones, trees, and ponds here." She grumbled as she looked around the garden she had found herself in. The trees were too small to climb and she had grown tired of running already. She was tempted to trek back to the Lunar lodge and try taking a nap or finding someone to talk to there, but most likely it would be nothing but priests or priestesses over there as well.

She wanted to have her new swords already. She wanted to do backflips while swishing around a pair of real blades. She considered practicing in this garden but it was also most likely sacred to the people around here. "The people here are so boring."

"I'm sorry Im not more entertaining." A voice called out from behind Rayla which made the young elf turn to its owner.

Rayla saw a figure sitting on a chair next to a small table located near the back of the garden. The figure was dressed all in black, a stark contrast to the white colors that seemed to make up everything at the Moonhenge. Her clothes were of high quality with the black being embroidered with cloth of gold, the only thing not black was a moonstone brooch that pinned a cloak to her robes. But what stood out most was the woman's face. Her skin was covered in small glowing dots that twinkled like stars, her hair a beautiful silver that shone in the moonlight and reached past her shoulders. Her eyes were covered by silver circlet that wrapped around her head, the flesh around the silver showed large scars which hinted that she had lost her vision in a battle of some kind. She seemed to be old with wrinkles beneath her eyes where the scars on her face ended.

The woman was a Startouch elf, the first Rayla had ever seen.

"No need to gape at me like a fish little Nightingale, it's rather unbecoming of a young woman to leave her mouth hanging open. It makes you look like a trout." The Statouched lady stated with a soft chuckle.

"Sorry I-" Rayla paused when she realized something. "How did you know I was staring at you?"

"Why shouldn't I know such things?"

"Because you're….you're..."

"Blind?" The woman asked, a small smile gracing her small lips. "I haven't had eyes for almost a thousand years but I can still see just fine...much to my dissapointment."

Rayla was confused as to why someone would be disappointed that they could see and how a blind woman, in general, was able to see?

As if sensing Raylas confusion the woman spoke. "When I was born I was destined to see everything, past, present, and all possible futures. I drowned myself in a circle of stars and learned truths that no mortal should ever know. I attempted to spare myself from seeing such things and cut out my own eyes for they were both my blessing my curse. Yet still, my sight remains. I see everything...I see forever."

That information shocked Rayla. "How can you see without eyes?" She knew magic could do strange things but this was something she had never heard of.

"Many people in this world have eyes but they dont see anything, it's amazing what the average person misses. Its as easy to see without eyes as it is to be blind with them." The Startouch elf replied. "But where are my manners? I haven't even introduced myself. People call me Aurastella, although you can call me Aura or Stella since people often use it as a nickname to avoid having to say something as pretentious as Aurastella. People are oh so very original when naming others..."

Rayla cleared her throat as she prepared to introduce herself. "It's a pleasure to meet you Aura. My name is-"

"-Rayla, I know who you are little Nightengale." Aura replied as she shuffled her hands on the small table that sat in front of her.

Rayla's eyes narrowed suspiciously but she tried to stay calm. She had never met a Startouch elf in her life yet this woman knew her name? If that wasn't suspicious she didn't know what was, yet she didn't dare confront her rudely. In elven culture, you were always supposed to respect your elders, even those not related to you, even if they gave offense.

"Now you suspect me...oh little Nightingale, I mean you no harm." Aura replied as if seeing into Rayla's thoughts. "Like I said I see everything. Even the least gifted Startouch elves can see the truth in all things, I knew your name the second my gaze fell upon you, although I knew of you long before that. I know that your elven years old, you are terrified of the water, you have a scar on the left side of your torso that you got when playing with your uncle's barbecue skewer, pretending it was a sword. Even now you still wonder if it will ever fade away and-"

-Okay, I get!' Rayla called out, not wanting any more information about her to be said. "So...you can see the past and future? Is that normal for a Startouch elf?"

"For those who train their sight, it can be, the stars told me everything about you." The woman replied. "Although my abilities are somewhat special. When a Startouch elf is born their eyes are usually bright white or purple like the Stars themselves. Yet sometimes a Startouch Elf is born with eyes that glow gold...it marks them for greatness. My eyes were once like that and with them, I gazed into eternity...and eternity gazed back." Aura shook her head. "But look at me droning on like the old crone that I am. Forgive my rudeness little Nightingale, come here and sit with me." Aura gestured to a vacant chair next to the table she was sitting at.

Rayla wanted to say no, to run out of this garden and find Runaan, and yet...the woman was just that, an old woman. Rayla prided herself on her bravery and willingness to go far and beyond what her fellow trainees were willing to do. She was a future assassin, and Moonshadow Assassins had no fear. She would never be able to forgive herself if she allowed herself to be afraid of a frail old woman.

Reluctantly and a bit cautiously she took a seat across from the woman. Up close she could see that Aura was rather old with prominent wrinkles alongside the scars she had near her blinded eyes. She also saw that the table before them wasn't empty, there was a deck of cards on the table, the top cards back displayed a glowing star upon the paper. Next to the deck of cards was a small orb that glowed a strange mixture of blue, white, and purple.

"Divination tools." Aura said, unbidden. "I can see you looking at them, I often do fortune telling for people as repayment for food and shelter. About all a frail old woman like me can offer anyone these days."

"How old are you?" Rayla almost bit off her tongue after asking that question. It was an extremely rude thing to ask an elf who appeared to over a hundred, but she couldn't help but be curious.

If Aura was offended she didn't show it, instead, the old woman chuckled. "Let's just say that when I was your age Xadia wasn't separated by a river of lava."

Rayla chuckled along with her if only to be polite. She rarely had interactions with non-Moonshadow elves. Although the elven people got along with each other, for the most part, they all had vastly different cultures and customs. The Startouch elves more so then any others.

"Would you like me to tell you your fortune?" The woman asked, gesturing towards the deck of cards on the table in front of them.

Of all the things she expected the elf to say this wasn't one of them. "Sure?" She found herself saying, not sure what else to say. To refuse would be rude, and if Aura's ability was genuine things might get interesting. Fortune telling with Tarot Cards was fairly common in Xadia, usually, it was just for fun. Yet this didn't seem like it was _'just for fun'_ like all the other times she had experienced this.

Aura waved her hand at the cards and they flew up into the air as if they were caught by a massive gale before they all fell back down onto the table in a neat and orderly deck. "Ask your question and draw a card, the stars will provide the answer that you seek."

"Any question?' Rayla wasn't sure what she wanted to ask. There were so many things she wanted to know.

"Nothing too specific," Arua replied somewhat sternly. "These are tarot cards, they cant tell you where you misplaced a sock. But they can tell you how your ambitions will turn out."

There was only one ambition Rayla had. "Will I become a great Assassin?" She grabbed the top card of the deck and turned it over on the table.

The Moon Priestess Reversed.

Rayla wasn't sure what the card meant, she wasn't an expert on the subject. Aura, on the other hand, was knowledgable and more then willing to explain.

"Inner conflict, not doing what you know to be right. It is telling you to never be afraid to ask new questions of yourself that you might be more true to your inner nature."

"So...what does that mean for being an assassin?" Rayla didn't understand. "I know I want to be an assassin, this card...I dont understand."

"You most likely won't until it becomes necessary that you do."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means its time to ask another question." Aura replied. "Perhaps something more simple? Most girls your age ask if they will find true love."

Rayla scoffed at that. There were several girls her age that were idiotic lovestruck ninnies who drooled over boys, it made them weak and fall behind in their training. Still, it wasn't as if the question was without merit. Rayla knew that someday after she had proven her worth that she might want to start a family of her own., The way her parents had after they had achieved success in their respective careers.

With nothing better to ask, she decided to give in. "Fine. Will I find true love?" Rayla asked as she drew another card and laid it out on the table next to her previous card.

The Mage Upright

"The mage upright represents willpower, elements, and inspired creativity."

"Okay...so I'm going to fall in love with a mage? I guess creativity could mean an artist I guess but...is it usually this vague?" That was rather vague, so many people in Xadia could do magic that it was the equivalent of saying that she would fall in love with a Moonshadow elf with white hair. It was so general that there was no way it could be wrong. Everyone in Xadia was a mage on some level if all a mage on some level due to the ability of all elves to perform magic.

She turned to Aura, disappointment evident on her face. "Do you have anything other then cards? Cant, you tell me my future with those eyes you have? You said you can see the future with them right?"

"You shouldn't dismiss the cards so readily." Aura gathered up the cards and slipped them back into her robe. "But if you Like I can tell you what I see, but I see so much...so many futures, so many possibilities...all in motion..." Aura was silent for several seconds before turning to Rayla.

Aura shuddered as if in a trance.

"I see Dragons young and old, living and dead. I see a King resplendent in the finest armor, his crown falls to the floor as life leaves his body, an apology filled with regret leaves his lips as he breathes his last breath, the last word he says is a woman's name."

Aura shuddered once more as a light seemed to glow gold behind the circlet that covered her eyes.

"I see a young man standing in the middle of a great battlefield, his hands are clean but the ground around him is stained with the blood of thousands, behind him a grasping shadow with a body made of darkness but eyes of false gold sinks its claws into the boys heart leaving only a black hole, yet the shadows eyes are filled with...Regret? Fondness? Love? Sorrow? It's hard to say, perhaps its all of them...The boy casts the shadow away and picks up a spear made of darkness and redeems it to serve the light once more..."

Aura turned to Rayla, the light behind her circlet blazing bright, almost blinding in their magnificence.

"I also see you little Nightingale standing over a young child as someone pleads for you to not hurt him, they plead for mercy and begs you to kill him instead...you ignore him and you raise your blade and bring it down...the child screams."

The light faded and Aura gazed at Rayla, waiting for a response.

"Bullshit." The words came out of Raylas mouth unbidden before she could stop herself, not that she wanted to stop herself. What kind of fortune-telling was this? Dead kings? A young man and grasping shadows? Her killing a child? She would never do such a thing, it was disgusting. It took all of her willpower not to tell the old crone in front of her to go straight to hell. "You are so full of bullshit!"

Aura wasn't offended, in fact, she let out a mirthful laugh that went on for at least ten seconds. Once the laugh subsided she smiled at Rayla's angry form. "People often hunger for the truth but complain about its taste, he used to tell me that all the time and it still rings true even a thousand years later. It seems you are no different little Nightingale, you have no taste for the truth."

"My name is Rayla," Rayla replied curtly with a bit of steel in her voice. "And I would never kill a child."

Aura cocked her head to the side as if she were utterly confused. "You wish to be an assassin dont you?"

"Yes, but I would never harm a child."

"Not even if your oath as an assassin required you to kill one?"

That made Rayla pause, her people took oaths seriously. However, those who are marked for assassination are chosen by elders and by the dragons themselves who were the wisest being in Xadia. No Dragon or elf would ever order the death of a child...right?

"It has happened many times before, the most brutal I can recall was the purging of the Coral isles." Aura spoke up, answering the question that Rayla hadn't even had a chance to ask. "The Tidecaller Queen of the Coral isles was an ocean elf turned pirate queen. She used tidal waves to move her ships and soldiers into coastal towns, drowning the villagers and raiding whatever was left. Sol Regem ordered her and her entire line killed and Moonshadow assassins carried out the deed. In the dark of the night with a full moon glowing overhead, the assassins snuck into the Coral Citadel and slew all who dwelled within. Even a small child, the son of the Tidecaller Queen was slain and his small lifeless body was tossed into the ocean. They feared that the child might be used to try and revive the Tidecaller line of royalty. Fear will make anyone, even Dragons do unspeakable things….its why you are here being trained so young to be a killer."

"I'm being trained to protect Xadia!"

"The Assassin that slew the Coral Prince and tossed the child's body into the ocean also protected Xadia. The Coral isles are now a peaceful part of Xadia and there haven't been pirates dwelling there for over a thousand years, did that make the assassin's actions right?"

"That...I..." Rayla tried to find a justification, then she remembered something Runaan once told her. "Sometimes you have to make sacrifices for the greater good...for the sake of Xadia."

"If we have to sacrifice our basic decency to save Xadia then what kind of Xadia are we even trying to save? Is it one even worth saving?" Aura asked. "Is the path of a killer truly one you wish to take? How many lives are you willing to take to _'save'_ Xadia? What are you willing to become?"

"Its what I've wanted my whole life." Rayla felt a small sliver of confidence returning. Recalling all of Runaan's stories about how many people he saved by ending one life. "Maybe the people of the past did bad things. But it wouldn't happen today, Xadia is more united then ever and the Dragons who guide us are wise and benevolent. Even if they asked me to do something terrible...an assassin is just a tool. We don't get to choose our targets, we simply fulfill the Dragons justice."

"So, you aspire to be a tool and shove any responsibility upon the one who uses you?" Aura asked, her tone showed that she thought the statement was ridiculous. "If you believe that you can distance yourself from the harm you cause then you are deluding yourself. You are not a mindless tool, you are accountable and your actions will catch up to you eventually. Every choice you make has consequences. We all make choices little Nightingale, but in the end, our choices make us."

"Well, I choose to be an instrument of justice," Rayla said, grasping at whatever straws she could, remembering Runaan's lessons. "Moonshadow elves are the arm of justice for the dragons."

"Justice...the absolute Justice Moonshadow elves serve is one of the cruelest things in this world. I believe that's why your version of justice is depicted as a blind woman holding scales. To serve justice you must close your eyes to all the suffering in the world, you have to dismiss mercy, compassion, and forgiveness." Aura shook her head. "Absolute justice is the death of peace. It is an eye for an eye, punishing one crime with something equally terrible. It becomes a vicious cycle of retribution after retribution. The thing you call justice is a beast of vengeance that can never be fed, it consumes and takes and leaves nothing but death in its wake."

"You're crazy," Rayla said, not believing what she was hearing. If all Startouch elves were like this one then she was glad that they were so few in number and rarely bothered to interact with other elves.

"I am." Aura agreed, much to Rayla's surprise. "But does that make me wrong? Justice is an important cornerstone of society but it must be tempered with mercy and forgiveness. I see into your future and the type of justice you will dispense upon this world will only lead to more pain and suffering. The dragons will command you to do terrible things...all because they are afraid."

"Dragons aren't afraid of anything."

Aura smiled a mournful smile filled with sadness. "They are old and wise but they err the same as us. Even now they are afraid...they sense a great change coming, one that will shatter the world as we know it. Deep in their hearts, they know the cause of it all but they don't want to admit to themselves that he is returning."

Rayla didn't understand anything this woman was saying, this entire conversation they were having was borderline ludicrous. Visions of the future? The idea of justice being wrong? Now she was claiming that the dragons were afraid of something? "What are you talking about? You cant just go spouting nonsense and expect me to sit here and understand what you're saying. Who is returning?"

"The enemy that they helped create." Auras' tone had grown dark, a mixture of fear, sadness, and excitement filled the Startouch elf's words. "They fear his specter even now, they wiped his name from history in the hopes that he would be forgotten, but he will never be a memory. I warned them but they ignored me, as they always have and always will. Yet I know that his defeat was merely a delay, they didn't want to believe, believe that he could cheat death itself and return. The boy-prince has turned the key and ushered in his coming. Now the Dragons must face off against the one they fear...the one elf who could best them. They thought they beat him at his game, but he was playing a different game entirely. He was playing the long game, and after a thousand years he is close to winning which will mean an end to the dragons and Xadia as we know it."

The woman in front of her was clearly crazy, but something made her stay and listen. She wasn't sure if it was fear or a morbid sense of curiosity. "Who do they fear? Why would an elf fight against dragons? We have served them and they have helped unite us as one people." There was still some tension between elves, but the dragons council always mediated those tensions before they could break out into battle.

Aura chuckled.

"He did not serve the dragons, he devoured them..."

It was Rayla's turn to chuckle at the absurdity of such a statement. "He devoured them? Must've taken him a while then, a single elf would need years to gobble up a whole dragon, even if it was a wee one."

Aura smile dissipated as her voice turned cold. "All places, all things have souls. All souls can be devoured...even the soul of a dragon." Aura answered grimly. "In his anger, he delved into magic so terrible it makes me shudder to think of it. He could gain strength from the fallen, drinking in their power and making it his own. A skill he taught to many and it haunts us to this day. He learned to steal the essence of others by using the power of the ever hungering dark void. Many believe there are six seats at the high table but in truth, there are seven seats. One wishes to consume all the others."

"This person you're talking about sounds like a monster."

"People like to invent monsters and monstrosities so that they seem less monstrous themselves. He simply was what the world around him made him." Aura said, her tone sharp with a slight edge of anger. "But it wasn't always so...there was a time when he wanted to serve the dragons like any other elf. He was always so different from his peers, a strange child who sought out answers to questions no elf or dragon even bothered to ask. It made him an outcast, a pariah among his own people, even his own family…All he wanted was to be loved, for love was the one thing he was always denied even from his own kin who saw him as a black sheep. To win their love he made marvelous creations, things beyond description, each a work of pure genius. He presented them to his family, his peers, to the dragons themselves...all were deemed too dangerous because they challenged conventional knowledge and pushed the boundaries of what was possible. Instead of love, he got condemnation, and rejection, which slowly destroyed him and set him upon a new path, a darker path. He chose to exile himself from the world that refused to understand him. Before he departed from the world of elves he gave his people one final gift. It was a machine that drank seawater and played music so beautiful that it brought all who listened to it to tears. The Dragons ordered it taken apart, and it has never worked since..."

Now Rayla knew the woman was talking utter nonsense. "We have machines and all sorts of stuff around Xadia. We arent a bunch of superstitious savages who throw out anything we dont understand."

"We have machines now, but over a thousand years ago Xadia was a very different place." Aura replied sadly. "That's the greatest tragedy of all this, his creations laid the groundwork for much of what we have today, his only crime was being born ahead of his time. He did eventually find the acknowledgment he had always craved but that is a story all its own. But it ended like everything else in his life, with tragedy...and the loss of someone dear to him. Now he returns to seek his revenge upon a world that cast him away and take what he feels is his rightful place at the pinnacle of creation so that he can remake the world."

"Who are you talking about?" Rayla didn't believe a word of what this old woman was spouting but at the same time, she couldn't help but be curious. "I find it hard to believe any elf could manage to do all the things you are claiming. Who was he?"

"The dragons call him Noctesidus." Aura answered. "I see you fighting him even now, as clearly as I see you sitting across from me. I see armies clashing, the death of the old and the birth of the new, I see magic's the world hasn't seen in thousands of years reemerging. I see a young man throwing his will against the machinery he helped set into motion and you will be by his side as you both fight against the tide. For the two of you are a Bastian of light surrounded by an ocean of darkness and the tide will rise against you. These are the last days when the world shall be broken and remade." Auras' tone grew darker. "All things end, all things burn to ash, but the two of you will burn bright."

While Rayla didn't believe a word of what Aura was saying yet for some reason she felt a chill go down her spine. It was like the air was thick and cold despite it being a warm night. Her hands had been gripping the edges of the table so hard her knuckles had turned as white as a human's hands. She wanted to say something, to call the woman crazy once more, to tell her she was spouting nonsense, but the words died in her throat every time she tried to speak them.

"Nothing to say little Nightingale?" Aura asked, her voice turning soft and kind once more.

"My name is Rayla." Is all Rayla managed to utter as she tried to formulate a proper response to the woman. "If you want to speak to someone you should do them the courtesy of using their names."

"Startouch elves rarely use a person's name when we address them." Aura replied. "A name is an impersonal thing given to you by your parents before they even know who you are or what you will become. So we use titles that describe the person more aptly. If we use a person's name it is because we dont know them that well or dont care about them at all."

Rayla narrowed her eyes. "In that case feel free to use my name from now on because it's obvious you dont know who I am."

"I think it's obvious that even you dont know who you are." Aura replied as a small smile adorned her old lips. "I wish I could talk more but a White Wolf is prowling its way through the woods pursuing his lost pup."

Rayla was about to ask her what she meant but her sharp ears picked up the sound of footsteps and she turned to see Runaan walking into the garden.

"There you are Rayla!" Runaan called out as he walked briskly up to her, his stride quick and quiet as a cat. "I looked for you but didn't see you anywhere, not even at the lodge. Luckily I managed to track you by-" He paused when he saw Aura sitting across from her. She had lived with Runaan for most of her life and had grown used to reading his usually stoic face. Yet his face became nearly unreadable when he cast his gaze upon Aura. Rayla thought she saw confusion, anger, and even a bit of fear flash in his eyes before he adopted his usual stoic expression. "My apologies, I didn't realize you had company."

Before Rayla could answer Aura got up and was already walking up to Runaan. "If anyone should apologize it's me." Aura stated giving Runaan a curt bow which he stiffly returned. "This lovely young lady took pity on me and has been keeping me company this evening. I apologize for holding her this long, I hadn't realized she was needed elsewhere."

"No need to apologize, I'm sure shes been learning quite a great deal from a...wise elder such as yourself. I hope she behaved herself." Runaan looked at Rayla who expected his eyes to be hard and judgemental but rather they seemed to be worried.

"She is the very embodiment of manners, you should be proud of her." Aura replied happily. "Then again what else would anyone expect from a young lady who has been raised by the White Wolf of Riverwood?"

Runaan clenched his fists so hard that Rayla saw his knuckles turning white, although the older elves expression betrayed nothing and could have been made of stone with how stiff it was. "I'm honored by your praise my lady," he answered stiffly, obviously forcing a neutral tone.

"I've heard men and elves curse me in the same tone that you mutter your pleasantries. " Aura chuckled at Runaan's obvious discomfort. "Moonshadow manners...they never cease to amuse me even after living so long. You hold yourself to traditions and manners the same way a shipwrecked sailor would hold on to a piece of driftwood to avoid drowning in the ocean."

It was obvious from the expression on Runaan's face that he wasn't amused. "If my manners amuse you perhaps we should dispense with the pleasantries." Runaan gestured for Rayla to come to his side and she did so immediately, choosing to half hide behind her adoptive uncle. "What are your intentions here Sovaraa?"

The name wasn't the one she had given Rayla earlier.

"Sovaraa?" Rayla asked, the word sounding foreign on her lips. "You said your name was Aurastella, with people sometimes calling you Aura."

"I never said that was my name," Sovaraa replied in an amused tone. "I said that people call me Aurastella with Aura being a nickname, I never claimed it was the name my parents gave me."

Rayla's confusion must have been more obvious then she thought because her uncle chose to explain. "This is how Startouch elves speak, they never lie but they bend the truth and use clever wordplay to obscure their deception."

"Said the Moonshadow assassin who uses the powers of the moon to bend light and obscure truth." Sovaraa retorted. "The humans have a saying about this, something about a pot and kettle."

Runaan put a protective hand on Rayla's shoulder, she could feel her uncle's hand clench firmly but not roughly on her shoulder as if he meant to push her away if anything happened. "I dont know what this mad old crone has told you Rayla but dont let it concern you. The Dragons have long since discredited her and her mad ravings."

"The Dragons are blind as are you White Wolf." Sovaraa returned, not a hint of anger in her voice, the light returned and shone from behind the silver circlet. "Soon all eyes will be open and you will gaze upon the truth. The King of Rooks has been made a pawn and with a corrupted spear he will kill the sky. When the sky dies the world will break and from its broken body a new age of wonder and terror will be born. I see you there as well White Wolf, snarling and biting with your white teeth and fur soaked in blood."

"See?" Runaan gestured towards Sovaraa. "Utterly mad ravings, even your own kind have banished you which is why you wander the world spouting nonsense to children." He pushed Rayla back away from them. "Let us leave this place Rayla before she utters more nonsense."

"Wait," Sovaraa commanded, the air grew thick with magic and Rayla felt her blood freeze as her body obeyed. She turned and saw Runaan had similarly frozen but his expression wasn't one of fear but of silent anger.

Sovaraa pulled out of her black robe the crystal ball that Rayla had seen earlier on the table next to the tarot cards. It glowed with new light turning, blue, white, purple, and even red. "Little Nightingale...I'm sorry if my words disturbed you tonight." She turned to Runaan. "And I'm even more sorry that your guardian is blind, but perhaps this will offer you evidence that my words cannot. Take it as a parting gift."

Rayla's first instinct was to back away but Runaan pushed her forward. She turned to the older elf and saw him nodding, indicating that it was okay. "It is rude to refuse a parting gift, even one offered by a madwoman." He explained, and she knew he was right. Refusing gifts freely given was considered a grave insult to any elf no matter their background and reflected poorly on a person's character.

Tentatively she stepped forward and accepted the strange crystal ball. She gazed at it and it's magnificent light, she could feel the power emanating from it, it made her feel...certain. She wasn't sure what she was certain of but it made her feel confident like she could do no wrong.

"This is a small star," Sovaraa explained as she allowed Rayla to take the orb. "It was placed in my cradle when I was born, just as it was placed in my mother's cradle when she was born, and her mother before her on and on since the dawn of the elves."

Rayla suddenly felt very uncomfortable holding onto something so important. "I cant...this is too personal you should-"

"-I have no children, my line ends with me as it should," Sovaraa answered, pushing the small star into Rayla's small hands. "Nor do I have any family of flesh and blood who still walk this world...I must walk alone until I am finally free of this mortal veil. For now, I entrust this piece of the star primal to you little Nightingale. May it convince you of the truth that my words have failed to convey. For if you will not hear the truth then this star will show it to you."

Runaan pushed Rayla back and walked up to Sovaraa his face mere inches from her own. "You've given your gift and my ward has accepted it as custom demands. Now leave her in peace or I will not be responsible for what follows." He threatened as he took on as imposing a stance as he could manage.

Sovaraa was unimpressed. "That's where you're wrong, you will be responsible for what follows White Wolf, just as all of us are. You think your oaths and your honor protect you like armor, but all they do is weigh you down and make you unable to dodge what is coming."

"Are you threatening me?" Runaan asked, his tone growing dangerously low. Rayla had never heard her adoptive uncle sound so angry.

"I'm trying to educate you, but like so many others you are deaf to common sense." Sovaraa turned and began to walk away out of the garden. "May the Stars guide you both in the darkness that is coming" She called out before she disappeared from sight into the twisting pathways of the Moonhenge.

Runaan laid his hand gently upon Rayla's shoulder and led her back to the Lunar Lodge where they would be staying for the night. Runaan said nothing on their journey to the lodge and Rayla followed his example. It wasn't until they reached their shared room and sat down at a small dinner table that Runaan broke the silence.

"I had the chefs make your favorite dessert," Runaan said as he gestured to a large plate of Mooberry surprise on the table. "I figured it would be a nice way to end the night."

Rayla loved Moonberry surprise but all she could think about was what she had heard from Sovaraa, it had been the strangest conversations she had had in her short life. "Can she really see the future?" Rayla asked, unable to think about anything else. "And how did you know her?"

Runaan sighed as he rubbed both his temples as if to ease a headache. "When I was younger I would often be called upon by the Dragons to debrief them on missions that I took part in or led myself. Which meant I often had to wait in the chambers of the Dragon council. I saw her there a few times in my youth as she ranted and raved about the end of Xadia, and the doom we brought upon ourselves. I dont know much about her but she was once a great seer over a thousand years ago but whatever she once was is gone and all that remains is..." Runaan shook his head. "In truth, we shouldn't judge her harshly, I wish I had spoken a bit more kindly to her. She has lived a long time and we must respect our elders even the insane ones. Not to mention the fact that she has lived a long life and no doubt seen traumatic things which no doubt resulted in her being...so eccentric. Elders such as her deserve our pity, not our condemnation."

"But _can_ she see the future?" Rayla asked, wanting to know that more then anything else. "She told me things..."

"I dont know what she told you but put them out of your mind." Runaan offered her one of his rare smiles. "The future is ever in motion, if Startouch elves could see into the future perfectly then our people would never lose a battle, nor would we ever suffer a natural disaster. That's not to say they are never right but I dont trust prophecies that are only sometimes right anymore then I would trust a bow that only sometimes hits its mark."

"But you've been saying that the Dragons have been preparing for a war that the Statrtouch elves have foreseen so-"

Runaan cut her off. "-They are preparing for the _possibility_ of a war. I hope for the best but prepare for the worst. If there is war I want you as strong and capable which is why I'm so tough on you during training. The skills you learn in this training will prepare you for whatever happens in life regardless of whether you take the Assassins oath."

The Assassins oath was the oath a Moonshadow assassin took when they completed their training when they swear to obey the Dragons and dedicate their lives to serving Xadia rather then themselves. "I want to be an assassin but..." The words from earlier in the night still rung in her head, the warnings, her killing a child… "Have you ever had to do something that you regretted while on the job as an assassin? Like...killing a child?"

If Runaan was offended or surprised by the question he didn't show it. "I shudder to think of what Sovaraa told you that would make you ask that question." He paused for a moment as if considering his answer. "I have killed many people, but I seldom feel regret. The Dragons killed them, my body was merely the tool they used. If you killed a person with a sword do you hold the sword responsible?"

"A sword cant decide right from wrong."

"We are tools no different from a sword," Runaan replied. "We do not get to decide right from wrong, that is for our leaders to decide whether it be the Dragons or the Moonshadow elders." He reached across the table taking one of her hands in his own, she felt him tighten his grip affectionately, his hand was strong and hard from years of using bow and sword. "If this isn't the path you wish to take that is fine, it doesn't reflect poorly on you. Few can do what I do, it is a path meant only for a select group of people who can kill their hearts to the suffering of others. Once your training is done you need not take the assassin's oath, you could join the ranger division and become a scout whose eyes and ears will defend Xadia from any who might try to sneak into our lands. Or you could join the army and rise up to be a leader of our people commanding our forces on the front lines. There are many paths to the Dragon Guard."

Despite his words, it felt like she was too weak if she had this much doubt just because of one old mad woman's words...what would happen when she was faced with truly hard choices? "I...want to be an assassin I just...I want to know that if I kill people its...you kill bad people right? People, who deserve death?"

"Very few people deserve death," Runaan replied, his tone soft. "If death only came for bad people then the good would live forever. All must eventually die, both the good and the bad. I have killed many humans and elves but I would never presume to judge them. I remember that I was once I was ordered to kill a human commander who was leading a massive force over the border. Who was he? Did he have a family? Friends? Other loved ones who would mourn him? Was he a good man or a bad man? He was a soldier like any other following orders, and his orders were to poach magical creatures. In truth who he was didn't matter, I was given the order and followed it. I killed him while he slept and when the human soldiers woke up to find their commander killed they fled Xadia in fear. I killed one man and by doing so saved many others. No magical creatures were killed to fuel humanity's dark magic, none of our border forces were lost in a skirmish, even the humans only suffered one loss when they could have suffered many more from a full-on battle. My actions saved many lives."

Runaan let go of Raylas's hand and offered her a sad smile. "What is one life against the lives of hundreds, perhaps even thousands of others? Sometimes the only choice we have is to choose between one evil or another, better it be the lesser evil then the greater." Runaan stood up from the table, his food untouched. "Eat your food and mine if you wish and think about what I've said. Regardless of your choice Im sure you will accomplish great things Rayla. Tomorrow your weapon will be ready and we can continue your training and when your training is done it is your choice whether you wish to take the oath or not."

He got up top leave but she stopped him. "Wait." She called out as she grabbed the orb she had received as a gift. "What am I to do with this?" She held the orb in front of her. "I know she gave it to me but...should I keep it?"

Runaan nodded. "Yes, it is a primal stone, a piece of the star primal. Exceptionally rare, I dont think I've ever seen one that wasn't in the possession of a Startouch elf."

"What should I do with it?"

"It was her gift to you so it's your decision, you're old enough to be trained as an assassin so it would be hypocritical of me to take it away. It is no more dangerous then anything else I have you doing." Runaan replied. "If you dont want to use it then I would suggest you keep it for later. Primal stones are considered the rarest and most exceptional betrothal gifts. Perhaps one day you will meet a boy or girl you wish to spend your life with and offer it to them. A primal stone is seen as the greatest betrothal gift anyone can offer because you are offering a piece of creation itself to your chosen."

"I might not get married, boys are stupid and girls are annoying." She muttered, thinking of all the other people the same age that she hung around with.

"I thought the same once, just give it time. Now finish your food and get some rest, we have a big day tomorrow." Runaan said as he left the dining room and went to his bedroom to get some sleep for the night.

Rayla sat alone in the dining room, the glow lights illuminating it in dim light. She looked at her food and set aside her fork, she loved Moonberry surprise but found herself unable to enjoy it tonight. Instead, she peered at the primal stone in front of her, gazing at the glowing star within it.

"Do I really want to become an Assassin?"

The second those words left her lips the primal stone grew so bright that it blinded her for a moment. When he vision returned she found that she wasn't sitting at a table anymore but was standing in what appeared to be a room made out of sandstone with strange decorations and furniture of a make she had never seen before. Strange mosaics were etched into the stone, and she saw strange banners and tapestries hanging on all the walls with a strange golden symbol in the center.

The room was dark with very little light so it was a challenge to make out what was going on, but she turned and saw that she wasn't alone, there were three others in the room as well. She saw a female garbed in green similar to Moonshadow elf garments holding down a smaller figure with one arm with a knife clutched in the other. The smaller figure was a child, his features were obscured by the dim light but she saw two large innocent blue eyes filled with fear as they stared up at the assailant.

The third figure was on the ground, it appeared to be a boy but he was wearing a large black cloak that obscured his form. His face was covered in blood and his left eye was shut due to a nasty cut over his face. His other eye was green and filled with fear as he begged.

"Please not him, he's all I have left. Kill me instead..." The young man begged. "He doesn't deserve this..."

"I'm sorry..." The assailant muttered as her hood fell down from her head.

Rayla saw the assailants face and she knew who it was. It was the face that greeted her every morning when she looked into the mirror.

She watched her other self raise the Lunarsteel dagger and bring it down.

Rayla closed her eyes and heard the child scream.

When she opened them again she was standing in the dining room of the Lunar Lodge still clutching the primal stone.

She let out a gasp and tossed the stone away as if it were on fire causing it to fall to the ground and roll across the wooden floors of the lodge until it settled into the corner of the room. She herself backed into the other corner of the room as far away from it as she could manage as she clutched her knees to her chest and tried to get her breathing under control.

"That...was it real?" She asked herself. It could've been a trick, a spell left behind by Sovaraa to trick her into believing in the mad woman's visions. Or it could have just been a false future, Runaan had said the future was ever in motion there was no way she would ever hurt a child...would she?

She looked down at her hands and saw that they were shaking and tried to get them to stop. When they wouldn't stop shaking she simply hugged herself in hopes of calming herself down.

If the future was always in motion then perhaps what she saw wouldn't come to pass but if it did…

"Assassins dont get to choose their targets..." She muttered, had it been Sovaraa or Runaan who told her that? Perhaps it was both of them, she couldn't even remember, her mind was a mess. She did remember Runaan saying that sometimes the only choice was between a lesser evil and a greater evil. Sometimes one life had to be ended to save hundreds or perhaps thousands of others. If her vision had been the lesser evil she shuddered to think of what the greater evil had been.

She looked once more at the primal stone sitting innocently in the corner, its glowing light turned a sad purple. She thought about her life, her desire to become an assassin and all of tonight's events.

"The choice between a greater or lesser evil..." She muttered sadly as she recalled the vision. The fear in the child's blue eyes, the look of desperation in the fallen figures lone green eye. The dagger being brought down upon the child and the scream...

She had dedicated these last few years entirely to her chosen profession. She wanted to be an assassin who could protect Xadia with precision and dedication. To protect all the denizens of Xadia from the horrors that waited on the other side of the border.

Yet being an assassin meant committing a lesser evil in place of a greater one. To sacrifice one to save the many. Choosing one evil over another...

"If I have to choose between one evil or another, I think I'd rather not choose at all..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Authors note
> 
> Well, we got a bit of Rayla, or should I call her Rayla of Rivia? It has a nice ring to it! She cant be the White Wolf because Runaan has sadly taken that title, I'm going to have to figure out another title for her., feel free to suggest one in your review/comments.
> 
> This is the last we will be seeing of Rayla until season 3 comes out. This is the one part of her story I was going to write regardless of season 3. Which by the way Season 3 will be discussed on October 6th at comic con. The creators have a very special presentation for all of us, hopefully, a release date will be among the things they reveal.
> 
> Very little of Callum this chapter, I'm just mainly setting up the next one. Let's just say the Drowned Town will not be a kind place for adventurers seeking a cure to the plague. And yes Aaravos created Plague doctor masks that actually work unlike the ones in the real world which just sorta made you look creepy and succumb to the disease. The runes in the mask draw power from the herbs that are inserted into it, thus using earth magic to purify the air. Its almost treading into the dark magic territory since the runes absorb the magic present in the herbs.
> 
> A few people messaged me saying they dont care about all this traveling through the kingdoms and just want to get to the Rayla/Callum adventure...that's fine but I need to reveal Callum's training and character development along with Rayla's otherwise this story's premise is pointless and won't make sense. I love timeskips but skipping to where the show started would be jarring. If you want a great Callum/Rayla adventure in Xadia story I recommend 'The Midnight Compass' on Archive of our own. It's easily the best Dragon prince fanfiction in existence, masterfully written, and full of Callum/Rayla stuff.
> 
> Sovaraa has arrived, an insane seer, as if there are any other kinds. While she always tells the truth much like Aaravos almost all of her prophecies have wordplay in them that can deceive the listener. While other prophecies are literal. Her descriptions of Aaravos are tainted by her own bias regarding him, so not all of what she says is true. Although it can be perceived as true from a certain point of view.


	10. Chapter 10

Claudia looked around at the drowned town and realized that it really wasn't all that _'drowned'_. Most of it was still above water with only a few buildings had sunk due to sinkholes and bad foundations. Most of the buildings that were made of stone were intact, the largest of which was a massive temple near the edge of the island far behind all the other buildings. There was a temple in the distance that was massive, almost the size of Katolis castle. It would be their meeting point.

After arriving on the island where the town was located the court Mage Pierro had divided them into three groups to cover more ground. Callum took a group to scour the west side of town, while she took a group to scour the east side of town, and Pierro took a group of soldiers right down the center. They would all meet at the half-sunken temple and regroup while sharing whatever magical creature reagents they had found.

So far it had been a pretty boring journey. The town itself was home to numerous creatures both magical and mundane but she was under so much protection that she couldn't really explore anything. Not to mention she didn't have many reagents for magical spells, so her ability to contribute was limited to telling people how to harvest the right parts from magical creatures.

"Swamp lion!" Someone called out and she looked over and saw a large crocodile-like creature run out of one of the buildings. It was massive, as tall as a horse and armored in scales with a giant mane around its head that was like a massive frill used to make it look larger and more intimidating.

Claudia could only watch with barely contained boredom as the creature was riddled with crossbow bolts, arrows, thrown spears and tridents, and finally a finishing blow from her bullheaded brother where he cut off the creatures head.

"Am I awesome or am I awesome?" Soren asked as he held up the creature's head proudly before tossing it back towards the dead creature's corpse. "Killing this thing was a piece of chocolate cake."

"Congrats on killing something that was already riddling with arrows and spears," Claudia muttered as she walked over to inspect the dead creature. Seeing that the important parts hadn't been badly damaged she ordered that the arrows and spears be removed from its corpse. Once that was done she reached into her trusty reagent pouch and grabbed an ice-cold tooth from it. It was the tooth of an ice wraith, one of many that she carried with her at all times. She crushed the tooth in her hands and began her spell.

"Devreserp eb dloc dna eci yb!" She called out as she blew into her hand causing the now shattered teeth to send out a blast of frigid air. Soon the swamp lions corpse was frozen solid in ice far stronger then any the natural world could produce.

"Mark that one down like the others." She ordered a soldier who held a map of the area. "We will pick it up on the journey back." That had been the protocol so far, find a magical creature, kill it, preserve its body, and move on. Once they regrouped they would pick up the bodies and haul them back to the ship.

She looked around and saw that the smaller swamp lions had fled after seeing the pack leader die, that was fine. Smaller magical creatures meant less magical energy in their body parts. She only needed the big ones for her plan to cure the plague to work.

"Why are we killing these things?"

Claudia turned and saw it was one of her assigned bodyguards, Lizzie Strider who had asked that question. "We're killing them so that we can find a way to use their magical energy to cure this plague," Claudia replied, amazed that the woman could ask such an obvious question.

"The Prince was saying he wanted living creatures, said that he needed to see how the creatures resist the plague. Cant do that if you kill them and chop them all up." Lizzie replied. "Seemed like we should be doing what he says, he did come up with these masks after all." The woman gestured to the plague mask she and everyone else was wearing. She heard murmurs of agreement ripple through the expedition.

Claudia almost ripped off her own mask and tossed it at the woman. Ever since Callum had created the masks everyone had been looking towards him for a solution, ignoring the obvious truth that dark magic was the answer to a magical plague. Her father had cured plagues like this before and yet everyone ignored her solution in favor of Callum's idealistic pseudo-science. "Callum is free to work his pseudo-science alchemical solution, but I put faith in dark magic. It's cured numerous plagues before, theirs too much at stake to trust unproven methods."

Lizzie gestured to her mask. "These masks-"

"-are not a cure!" Claudia found herself yelling. "They might have bought us time but they are not a cure. The dead counters believe that almost a fourth of the city has succumbed to the plague. Food is running low, medicines stores are practically exhausted, we need a solution now so shut up and do your job. Pierro put me in charge of this expedition. Callum can go catch frogs or whatever it is he has planned. I, on the other hand, intend to stop this plague. Understand?"

"Perfectly." The woman's tone was colder then the spell Claudia had just used but she obeyed.

Claudia felt her brother's hand rest on her shoulder which made some of the tension leave her body.

"Now isn't the time for it Claud's" Soren muttered softly, his own plague mask making his voice sound muffled and alien. "We cant be turning on each other. It also would hurt to capture some of these things alive, maybe Callum can find a cure with that alchemy mumbo jumbo he does."

It took all of her self-control to not get angry at her brother. "He has his own expedition, he can catch his own creatures if that's how he wants to spend his time. Our father has cured numerous plagues and diseases alike using dark magic. This shouldn't be any different."

"But it has been six months." Soren pointed out. "The entire College of Enchanters was trying to find a cure using your methods but came up with nothing, now half of them are dead."

"Unlike them, I was taught by a true visionary." Claudia pointed out proudly. When the plague first broke out she, Soren, and Callum had been locked up in the palace. She had wanted to help cure the plague but Queen Fareeda claimed it was too dangerous. Now half of the College of Enchanters was dead and all the best magical reagents had been used up in failed cures. So now the Queen had no choice but to send out this expedition and trust in Claudias expertise."Just trust me Sore-bear, soon I will have this plague cured and we can all go home."

Soren nodded, although his expression was unreadable behind his plague mask she could tell something was bothering him. "Yeah...do you think we'll go home? Won't we have to continue our journey through the other kingdoms?"

"Probably not, our dad will want us home."

"I was hoping we could at least make it to Del Bar, I wanted to see mom."

Claudia didn't want to think about her mother right now, there we more important things to focus on. Her mother brought up uncomfortable feelings that she would prefer to be left buried. "Forget about Mom and forget about Del Bar, let's just focus on surviving this damn plague. Just listen to me and we will get through this like we always do."

"Together?" Soren asked, despite his face being hidden behind his masks he could tell he was smiling.

Claudia allowed a smile to adorn her own face. With her brother by her side, there was nothing to worry about. She nodded.

"Together."

* * *

The sun which had shone weakly overhead when they had sailed into the drowned part of the city was no longer present and had been replaced with a rising full moon. Being early January winter still held the world in its clutches, although the winters in Evenere were rather mild compared to the other kingdoms, it had only snowed a handful of times and tonight there was no sign of snow or any other unpleasant weather.

Callum was grateful for that fact because it made fighting and spellcasting much easier since he didn't have to worry about the weather conditions. The ocean primal worked best on a high tide with a full moon and tonight he had both with no terrible weather to hinder his magic as he traced a rune in the air to defend himself from the magical creature barreling towards him.

The swamp lion let out a ferocious roar as it charged at Callum and the soldiers behind him. He felt his heart pound but he kept himself calm as he summoned forth his magical energy once the rune had been traced in the air.

"Flumen!" Callum called out as water poured forth from the primal stone he held. It flooded the ground in front of him like an endless tide. Callum then drew a rune in the air before him as the swamp lion charged at him and the soldiers behind him.

"Glacies Frigis Carcerem!" He called out as the water on the ground surrounded the massive swamp lion, columns of water sprung up and surrounded the creature and immediately froze, trapping the massive reptile in a prison of magically frozen ice. The massive amphibian thrashed against its freshly made prison fruitlessly as it tried to break the magically summoned ice. It roared and raged with its cries of anger and desperation filling the air around them.

"That's one pack alpha imprisoned," Callum called out as the soldiers behind him got to work. The smaller swamp lions, most of which were little bigger then cats scurried about around their imprisoned alpha, their courage broken.

"Ow!" One of the soldiers complained as he nursed his hand. "One of these bastards bit me!"

"Well, dont go sticking your hand in its mouth then!" Another soldier pointed out with a chuckle.

Callum saw his teachers perpetually hovering specter watching the soldiers with a disapproving stare. "I see they sent only the finest individuals to protect my protege," Aaravos grumbled as he inspected the soldier's antics. "I swear you humans get more ridiculous with every generation."

Callum decided to ignore the stab at his species, it's not like he could openly reply to the elf when he was surrounded by others. It made most interactions with his teacher fairly one-sided when they were in public.

Corvus walked up alongside Callum, the older boys' gaze focused solely on the swamp lion alpha which was trying to bite its way out of the magically summoned icy prison. "Why is that one so much bigger then all the others?"

Callum looked over at the swamp lion that was trapped in its icy prison. "Its a female of the species, from what I have read about them the females are the alphas in the species hierarchy being the size of a large horse while the males are small being the size of a large housecat. Each female had a harem of males to tend to their needs and hunt for them while the female's fend off the larger predators to protect their harem."

"Damn, so she's the top bitch then eh?" Corvus seemed to be studying the large female who had paused in its thrashing, seemingly accepting that it was imprisoned. "Want me to chain up the big one? You said you needed live ones right?"

"The small ones will work fine." He didn't even want to think about the logistical nightmare of transporting something so big. Plus if it got loose...the smaller ones would be far less risky. "The ice will melt on its own come tomorrow morning and by then we will be long gone."

Callum looked around at the samples they had collected so far. Numerous frogs, toads, and smaller reptiles along with numerous plants and herbs. All of it packed away into small containers that the soldiers were carrying. All the while Aaravos's specter walked him through it all telling him what to collect and why it needed to be taken as a sample.

While Callum couldn't respond to his teacher for fear of looking like a lunatic by those around him he simply listened and absorbed all the information the ancient elf put forward. Alchemy was rather fun, it was sort of like cooking only instead of food you were making medicine….or poison. He had learned the hard way that sometimes the very things that can heal you could also kill you. Its why he had to wear gloves and a plague mask while working after he nearly gassed himself to death after getting a mixture wrong.

Callum put aside his thoughts on alchemy and instead decided to give the female swamp lion one more look over. Its frill was fully raised making it look like the mane of a lion. Otherwise, it looked like a strange combination of a crocodile and dragon, making him wonder what moron chose to call it a swamp lion. He walked closer to get a better look and the creature roared at him from its icy prison, attempting to intimidate him.

It didn't work.

"Youll have to better then that if you want to scare me," Callum said to the imprisoned creature. "The last sea creature that tried to trash-talk me was a few kilometers taller then you." He muttered as he remembered his meeting with the Leviathan almost half a year ago. He hadn't had another meeting with the sea creature since and he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

He felt a pressure in his leg and saw that one of the male swamp lions had bitten his pants leg. It was smaller then a cat so Callum picked it up by the back of its neck and held it up as it squirmed. "Nice try little guy." He called Corvus over as the older boy brought up a small cage that Callum promptly placed the small swamp lion into. "There we go, dont worry I'll return you guys once I find a cure." He looked at the imprisoned creature which replied with a loud hiss.

"You're not going to use them as reagents?" Corvus asked as he looked at the small creature curiously. "I thought even alchemy required creature body parts?"

"Alchemy is mainly using plants with occasional creature parts. Even then its usually small bits of blood, spiderwebs, venom and other things that you dont have to kill the creature for." Callum looked up at the sky and saw the full moon was rising, they might have lingered too long here. "We've spent enough time here, the others will probably have reached that temple at the back of the island. Gather up all the magical creatures and plants you can, we need to be ready to leave this area in five minutes."

The trek to the sunken temple was surprisingly uneventful. This part of the city was completely abandoned with buildings sinking into the ground around them, while others were simply overgrown with plants and vines so long that in places they created a roof of vegetation overhead. From looks alone Callum could tell this was once a place of opulence and wealth, most of the buildings were stone or marble and were built largely for wealthy households. He saw long-abandoned glass gardens where ancient fruit trees still grew among all the other vegetation. Within some buildings were ancient halls filled with rotting furniture that had been built decades ago but now was mostly rot. He even found an old piano in one of the buildings and after pushing a few keys found it still worked, he knew how to play the piano a little bit, his Katolian tutors had taught him it back home claiming it was _'proper'_ for a prince to know how to play a musical instrument. He had only been mediocre at best. It made him wonder about the people who lived here, but he quickly dismissed those thoughts in favor of focusing on finding alchemy reagents so that he and his teacher could find a cure to the plague.

The stones and cobbles beneath their feet were also overgrown with vines, moss, and other vegetation which made walking something that had to be done carefully for fear of slipping. The canals around them were black and filled with strange plants that were like lilypads, covering all of the water in a roof of green overgrowth.

What was strange was the closer they drew to the temple the fewer animals they saw. In fact, the ruins were downright abandoned for the most part. The ruins themselves were also disturbingly quiet. Some of the soldiers claimed that the ruins were too quiet and that they should have at least run into a few crocodiles, rodents, and other small creatures but instead they found nothing.

"This isn't right..." Corvus muttered, fear evident in his voice even through his plague mask. "This place is disturbingly quiet, I dont even see that many animal tracks on the ground and the few that are present are old...months old..."

"Let's just get through here." was all Callum was able to say, he shared his bodyguard's feelings about this place. The soldiers who followed them must have shared it to because they kept their weapons ready at all times, spears and tridents clenched tightly in their hands as they walked through the empty town.

Half an hour of careful walking later they found Claudia and Pierro's expeditions, surprisingly they weren't at the temple itself but camped out in a half-collapsed building in front of it, their torches and lanterns showing their location. Callum soon found himself sitting in front of a fire with Claudia and Pierro.

"About time you got here," Claudia said, her expression unreadable behind her plague mask, although her tone showed that she was annoyed. "Always late..."

"Fashionably." Callum retorted although he knew it was somewhat true. The trek through the sunken town had been difficult with so many creature cages and plant samples weighing his expedition down while the others had simply killed and frozen their conquests for later pick up, a luxury he didn't have.

"Never mind that," Pierro said as he adjusted his glasses. "We might have come upon the cure to the plague and it rests in the largest structure on the island." He gestured towards the sunken temple which stood tall and imposing at the edge of the island, half of it sunken into the large lagoon that surrounded them.

Callum looked at the structure, despite it being night the moon was full and bright so he was able to take in the details of it fairly well. Much like other structures in Evenere, it was circular with many domed roofs, its walls were green marble and appeared fairly sturdy despite time and the elements widdling away at the structure of the temple. There were many windows although they all seemed overgrown with vines and moss. He knew it was once a place of worship for people who would pray for a safe voyage before setting sail, but from the looks of it, no one had worshiped there in decades.

In Callums eyes, It would have looked like a fairly normal sunken and derelict structure if it wasn't for the hordes of hideous insect nests and giant insects that crawled all over the structure.

"What the hell are those things?" Callum asked as he gaped at the horrifying insects infesting the structure. He saw various nests that looked like grotesquely large wasp nests with larvae growing in them. Each one was the size of a boulder and looked like they were made of pulsating flesh. The insects tending to them were the size of housecats and looked like a grotesque cross between a mosquito and a beetle. Most were the size of a cat but he saw some that were as large as giant hunting hounds that he saw nobles use to hunt boars back in Katolis.

"Those are blood bugs." Pierro began academically. "A type of parasitic mosquito-like insect native to Xadia. They drink the blood of dead animals and bring whatever is left to help build their nests. They generally leave living things alone but when the swarm gets large enough they will attack just about anything, even humans and elves."

"Never seen them before," Aaravos muttered, his gaze seeming uneasy. It seemed to Callum that his teacher didn't like dealing with something he lacked the knowledge on. "Must be a recent evolution, although they do look a bit like the blood flies found in Evermarsh...they might have evolved into a different form after the division of the continent."

"So that swarms large enough to be a threat?" Soren asked as he looked at the temple, his hand resting on the bastard sword strapped to his side.

"Yes." Pierro nodded thoughtfully. "It's probably the biggest nest I've ever seen. Usually, we have sweep teams patrol the swamps and abandoned islands for nests to burn them out before they get too big but with this plague going on there hasn't been the manpower for it. Its probably why this island had fewer and fewer creatures as we got closer to the temple. These bastards have probably been devouring everything on this island."

"How are they still alive though?" Claudia asked as she pointed into the sky. Everyone followed her hand and saw a dozen of the larger bugs carrying what appeared to be a dead human body into the nest. "They aren't sea creatures as far as I can tell, and if they've been drinking the blood of the plague victims they should have died like all the other animals and insects around here."

"They must be immune," Callum muttered with equal parts excitement and dread. It meant that they might be able to create a cure from them in some way, but it also meant collecting samples from the nest.

"Exactly." Pierro hefted his wizard's staff, the sun primal stone on its tip shining. "Blood bugs are fairly dangerous, not just the insects themselves but they also lay eggs in the brains of dead creatures and take control of the bodies sort of like a zombie so there's a lot more then just the bugs themselves to worry about in that nest. Thankfully they have one huge weakness, fire. The way the insects breathe makes them vulnerable to fire and smoke, so if we start a big enough fire and create a decent smokescreen around us they won't be able to touch us."

"Even so I dont think this is a good idea," Corvus spoke up. "This seems like a huge risk, Callum is a prince and Claudia and Soren are children of a nobleman. All of them are young and have no place in a battle like the one you are suggesting."

"Callum and Claudia are mages," Pierro replied. "We need every advantage for this battle, with most of my colleagues at the college of enchanters dead the salvation of the city rests in the few of us here."

"Then get more soldiers," Corvus suggested.

"Soldiers will only do so much against the threat we are facing." Pierro retorted, clearly getting bored of Corvus's protests. "Also this expedition is already straining Eveneres manpower. Most of the soldiers are needed on the streets to maintain order. This is the only path forward, end of discussion."

Corvus said nothing and everyone went about and prepared for the battle they would be facing. With three dozen soldiers plus three mages, it seemed like a simple enough task. The soldiers went about coating the tips of their spears with everflame which would burn hot and bright. They left their belonging in the half-collapsed building and marched in front of the temple. The nest of blood bugs seemed completely oblivious to what was going on as they went about tending their nests.

The temple itself was located slightly off the island proper, being built out of the lagoon with the only connecting point is a large stone bridge that was slick with moss. Around them stood old wooden buildings which had long since rotted away leaving their innards exposed.

"If you have any preparations to make do them now," Pierro stated grandly. "What we do tonight might very well be the salvation out city has been searching for, we need every advantage."

Callum reached into his pack and pulled out a large scroll and unrolled it to reveal a large painting depicting seven heavily armored knights in golden armor, each wielding a different weapon. It was a painting representing the seven knights of Katolis, a legendary group of knights who guarded the first Queen of Katolis during the founding of the kingdom. When he was a child he loved to hear his mother read him stories about them.

"Silotak fo sthgink neves eht, nrob eb doolb sretniap eht yb."

From the painting seven heavily armored knights arose, each standing seven feet tall and clad in thick plate armor that shone with golden gilding. Each wielded a different weapon but all were equally massive a deadly with swords, halberds, and spears among their armaments.

"Impressive," Claudia admitted, as she looked at the giants that surrounded the prince. "But can they fly? Because it looks like most of our enemies are insects with wings, I doubt your knights can do much against them."

"The crazy sorceress thinks she can do better?" Aaravos grumbled as he paced around Claudia, the girl unaware of the elven specter glaring at her. "The girl must be as blind as she is crazy, her eyes green not only with color but also envy. Show her true power my apprentice, show her your latest creation."

While Callum would have usually defended his friend from his teacher's words he couldn't help but agree with his teacher on this. He was sick of people always underestimating him. He pulled out another scroll and unrolled it revealing a painting of a large white tree, at first glance the tree appeared to have hundreds of black leaves, but when looking more closely one would see that the leaves were actually blackbirds, specifically crows.

"Sworc fo redrum, nrob eb doolb sretniap eht yb."

From the painting an enormous flock of crows flew forth, many taking to the sky and many others finding perches nearby, some landed on the old wooden buildings that surrounded them, while others landed on the shoulders of members of the expedition.

Callum smiled but also had to steady himself, summoning his painted creations was extremely taxing and he already felt rather drained. He closed the satchel he always wore, there would be no more summoning tonight, especially with a battle ahead of him.

"Impressive," Corvus muttered as he looked at a crow that landed on his shoulder, it was bigger then a normal crow, being on par in size with a hunting hawk. "I would hate for a flock of these things to be targeted at me."

"Oh please," Claudia muttered as she glared at one that had landed on her shoulder. "How dangerous could a bird be?" She tried to push the large black bird off her shoulder which irritated the painted bird prompting it to bite her hand before flying off. "Ow!" Claudia grumbled as she glared at the offending bird which landed on Callum's shoulder. "Your bird bit me..."

"Then dont insult a crow, they aren't exactly the gentlest of birds. There's a reason a flock of crows is called a murder." Callum answered, not fully able to suppress a smug tone. He reached up and gave his painted creation a small pet on its head and the crow let out a pleased purr. "It's probably why Corvus's parents named him Corvus, they saw he would be dangerous when he grew up...or because of his bird-like eyes."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Claudia asked, gesturing towards Corvus. "What do crows have to do with Corvus's name?"

"The word 'Corvus' means 'Raven' in the dragon tongue, with the common tongue word 'Crow' derived from it."

"Wow..." Corvus muttered. "Even I didn't know that I just thought my parents gave me a random name."

"Regardless of whether Corvus's parents knew the meaning behind his name or not," Callum said, bring things back on-topic. "My point is that Crows and Ravens are the deadliest birds when they work together. Large hunting birds are usually solitary but crows form a murder and can overwhelm anything. Just like my painted creations can."

Pierro nodded approvingly at the living paintings. "They should serve as a good deterrent to a blood bug swarm if there's nothing else we need to begin, every second we wait more people succumb to the plague." He hefted his staff and aimed it at the temple while he began tracing a rune in the air with his free hand.

"Ignis Sphaera flamen!" Pierro called out as an enormous fireball the size of a large boulder burst forth from the primal stone that tipped his staff.

The fireball traveled through the night air as it flew towards the temple. It went through one of the windows which had been overgrown with vines, and bloodbug nests and promptly exploded, engulfing the entire area in flames and burnt up numerous insects that had been caught unaware although many more simply flew away from the flames.

The sound of buzzing began to fill the night air to the point where it was almost deafening. Bloodbugs began to fly out of the windows and swarm the sky around the temple. So many were pouring out that it became clear that even with three dozen armed soldiers and three mages that the odds were not in their favor if the entire swarm came at them at once.

Pierro turned to everyone, as he pointed at the wooden buildings around them. "Set the buildings on fire! If it's flammable set it on fire, the smoke will keep the swarm from attacking us as one giant cluster!"

Everyone obeyed immediately with soldiers throwing jars of everflame at several buildings and igniting it, the old rotted wood turned into an inferno within seconds causing the air around them to be filled with smoke.

Callum found his own breathing fine, the plague mask purified the air that entered it, making the smoke nothing more then a slight annoyance. It was probably the only thing that saved them since the bugs began to swarm but they refused to get too close to the soldiers who were safely cloaked in smoke.

With everyone shielded from the swarm, it became a matter of simply picking them off little by little. Pierro used his sun primal stone to send numerous bursts of flame into the air that took out swathes of the insects, while Claudia used dark magic to send forth bursts of flame into the air by crushing some sort of spider in her palm which allowed the sorceress to summon flames.

Callum used the sky primal stone since it was more effective for this task then using ocean magic.

"Aspiro Frigis!" Callum called out as he exhaled and shot forth a gale of freezing wind from his mouth that went into the air and froze a large group of blood bugs, causing the creatures to fall from the sky and shatter on the ground into hundreds of frozen pieces.

While the three mages took out swathes of the swarm with their magic Callums summoned crows flew around the sky, attacking outlier blood bugs and protecting the soldiers from any that slipped past the smokescreen. The crows found it easy to cut apart the smaller insects by either using their sharp beaks or talons.

Things were going well until the ancient doors to the temple opened and numerous shambling figures began running towards them, the strange horde of enemies practically scurrying over each other as they ran across the bridge that separated the ancient temple from the island itself.

"Blood thralls!" Pierro called out as he took his attention away from shooting fireballs into the sky. "Soldiers its time to earn your pay!"

The soldiers formed a spear line as they awaited the charging masses. Callum watched in morbid fascination as the _'blood thralls'_ as Pierro called them came close enough that the light from the burning building and torches illuminated their bodies.

They were the most terrifying things Callum had ever seen in his entire life.

The Leviathans of the deep ocean had been frightening but they had also been beautiful, a sort of natural grace to their horrifying forms. But the creatures before him now were disfigured monstrosities. He saw the bodies of former plague victims their flesh bloated and pale, yet very much alive with blood bug larvae that clung to their bodies, he saw numerous creatures like swamp lions, boars, and various other animals that shared the same corruption as the human bodies had. Now their reanimated bodies were under the control of parasitic larvae and were shambling towards them in an attempt to protect the nest.

Callum was afraid but he managed to keep a level head. He remembered in his lessons on warfare that he had been taught by his Katolian tutors. when two forces met the initial impact of combat was the deadliest moment of a battle. It was why in warfare each army tended to send out a 'vanguard' of the most deadly but also disposable soldiers who would shatter an enemy line and allow the army proper to pour in through the gaps.

He had no intention of allowing the line of defense that the Evenere soldiers had created to fall to the initial impact of battle. He immediately ordered all seven of his painted knights to charge in and shatter the line of blood thralls that was quickly charging at them. He also sent a lot of his crows to attack in a giant murder that he hoped would shatter the enemy's force.

He watched as his painted knights charged past the spear wall the soldiers had formed and slammed themselves into the grotesque mob of blood thralls that was charging them. Each of his knights was a veritable giant with thick armor and a massive weapon. They plowed through the bloated masses, sending thralls flying through the air and hacking apart several at a time with each swing of their mighty weapons. The crows Callum had sent after the thralls did their job as they swarmed and pecked at the eyes, and faces of the enemy. Yet for each thrall that fell two more took its place, there were simply too many enemies for even his knights to handle. Numerous thralls slipped past his creations and charged at the spear wall the Evenere soldiers had formed.

Ths soldiers flaming spears impaled all the thralls that broke through the knights, their bodies exploding into green flame.

Callum was sure the battle would result in quick victory, he continued clearing the sky of blood bugs with his sky primal stone, already the swarm's numbers had been reduced by half and the spear wall was holding out against the blood thralls that were attacking them.

"Thralls coming out of the water!" A soldier called out whichs ent panic through the ranks.

Callum turned to the water's edge and saw numerous thralls crawling out of the water, their bodies pale and white beneath the light of the moon and the burning buildings around them. He could only watch as their organized defense was shattered as the expedition was attacked from three sides.

"The suspense is terrible, I hope it'll last." Aaravos chimed in over the sounds of battle, he was standing next to Callum, the Startouch elf was spectating the battle with great interest.

It took all of Callum's self-control to not curse his teacher's lack of seriousness in such a situation. Instead, he tightened his grip on his primal stone and prepared for the battle before him.

* * *

Claudia crushed the ember back spider in her hand and felt the creature's magical energy enter her body. It was a strange feeling, both exhilarating and terrifying, it made her feel strong, yet the strength wasn't entirely her own since it was the life essence of the creature she had crushed coursing through her body like a tide.

"Semalf gnippiks gnipael!" She called out as the essence of the creature burst forth from her hand in the form of a pillar of fire that she directed at several of the blood thralls that were attacking her, their malformed bodies quickly burst into flames causing them to flail about and let out a mournful wale as they burned to ashes.

She remembered the first time her father had shown her and Soren dark magic, he had used this exact spell. They had both been standing in front of him, she couldn't have been older then six. Her father had crushed the spider in his hand and spoken the incantation, his eyes turning black and the air around them growing hot but also alive with magic. Then he had summoned flames from his hands and directed them around the room, forming them into various shapes.

Soren had been repulsed but Claudia thought it had been the single most beautiful thing she had ever seen. Ever since then she found the magic to be exhilarating.

Yet today all that beauty and art was lost as she pulled out one magical reagent after another as quickly as she could to protect herself and those around her. There was also the fact that channeling so much foreign magic through one's body was exhausting, she had never used so many spells in such quick succession before and it left her feeling drained.

Yet as she saw more and more enemies spilling forth she knew there was no going back. She grabbed another small bottle from her satchel and emptied its contents into her hand, another ember back spider.

She crushed it in her hand and felt the magic coursing through her as she spied several more horrid monstrosities charging at her.

She looked at her blood-stained hand and knew this was her only course forward.

* * *

Soren had lived his life by a few simple words.

_Serve, Obey, and Protect_

They were simple words that embodied everything that made him who he was. He was glad the words were simple because he himself was simple. He would serve his kingdom and family, obey them and follow their orders to the letter and protect all those closest to him.

Its why he was glad he had been born to a Del Barian mother, while his father was a fairly frail man in terms of pure strength his mother had been an amazing warrior, wielding a battleax almost as large as his father was tall. While his sister had inherited their father's intelligence he had gotten their mother's pure strength and skill at arms which made him the best natural swordsman in Katolis.

He was glad for that fact because his skills were being pushed to the limit as he hacked and slashed his way through numerous hideous zombies that surrounded him and his friends. He had never seen real combat like this before. At most he had helped the Crownguard hunt down some poachers and he once helped hang some outlaws who had killed and robbed an innkeeper, but beyond that, he had never fought in a real battle like this.

He found it absolutely thrilling.

He might have even been smiling and laughing if it weren't for the fact that Claudia and Callum were here. His need to protect them making him unable to fully enjoy the battle he was taking part in. He found himself abandoning the hacking and slashing he was doing in order to protect his sister and the prince he had sworn to protect on this journey.

"Callum get down!" He shouted at the prince.

The Prince in question obeyed immediately as Soren swung his bastard sword at the space the princes head had just occupied which allowed him to cut the zombie-like creature that had been sneaking up behind Callum.

The blood thrall fell to pieces that sprayed blood and viscera everywhere, its already partially rotting body falling apart leaving behind only the bloodbug larvae that had been living in its broken form. Soren stomped on the wriggling larvae, these things were so gross it almost took away most of the fun in killing them."That was a close one." Soren looked around and saw that his plague mask was covered in blood, he tried wiping it away but that just made it worse. He grabbed it with his free hand and ripped it off before tossing it away. It messed with his peripheral vision anyway, what good was avoiding the plague if you got killed by an enemy that you didn't see coming? "You okay Callum?"

Callum was on the ground, his breathing labored. The young prince was covered in the blood and guts of the zombie that Soren had killed.

Soren ran up to Callum to check if the prince was okay. "Callum, are you hurt? Please tell me you aren't, your stepdad might have me literally killed if anything happens to you." He looked over the younger boys' form but didn't see any wounds.

Callum was on his knees, his face hidden by the plague mask he wore but even Soren could tell the younger boy was having trouble breathing. "You okay man?" He asked as he looked the other boy over again, especially around his throat and chest to see why he was having trouble breathing. Yet there was no wounds but the boy was having trouble breathing as if the wind had gotten knocked out of him.

"Fine..." Callum managed although Soren could tell the boy was straining to talk. "Just...trouble...breathing..."

"What can I do to help?" Soren didn't know much about medicine but he had learned how to treat field injuries, although he doubted this trouble to breath was caused by a wound or a broken bone.

Before Callum could answer they heard Claudia scream, both turned to see Claudia using a small dagger to fend off several Blood Thralls that had managed to get close to her, all the soldiers around them were too busy to aid her.

Soren's first instinct was to charge to help his sister but he had also sworn to protect the prince on this journey. It was a choice between his family or his duty to Katolis. He suddenly found himself having to think critically and make a choice.

Thankfully Callum made the choice for him.

The young prince held up a satchel, the satchel he carried with him everywhere. Soren didn't understand until Callum explained it to him.

"Primal stones...for her to use...I cant...use them...like this" Callum gasped out, his breathing still forced, Soren looked into the bag and saw two glowing stones that he knew mages used to do spells. "Go...protect...Claudia..."

"What about you? You're the Prince of Katolis, if anything happens to you…"

"I am...the prince..." Callum let out a pained gasp as the boy struggled for air. The prince looked up at Soren, his plague mask was covered in so much blood that Soren couldn't see the boy's eyes but he knew that Callum was glaring at him. "And as...your prince...I order you..." He took another wheezing breath. "...to protect Claudia! Now go!"

"As my Prince commands," Soren answered dutifully, he had always used the title of ' _prince'_ in a slightly mocking way whenever he called Callum by his title, but for the first time, he found himself meaning it.

He hefted the satchel in his off-hand and clutched his sword tighter in his main hand as he charged towards Claudia, hacking apart any enemy that came between him and his sister.

He suddenly didn't find the battle so thrilling anymore.

* * *

Callum had forgotten that he used to have panic attacks.

He hadn't had one for years, and even then he hadn't had them often. On the rare occasion they did happen he would find himself short of breath and unable to breathe, as if the world around him and the very air itself was crushing him under its weight, with his lungs betraying him most of all.

The last time he remembered having one was on the day of his mother's coronation as Queen of Katolis. As her son he had to be there alongside her, dressed in clothes that were worth more then the house they had once lived in. It was at that moment that he realized what was happening, he was becoming a prince, a step-prince but a prince nonetheless. As a commoner whos future would have been working a farm, apprenticing to a blacksmith, or if he was lucky opening an inn, he had instead found himself living in a castle with a mother who wore a crown.

Before the coronation, he had panicked and almost suffocated when the weight of all the responsibility sank in, luckily his mother had taken him into her chambers and helped him through it. He could remember her saying….

"Just breathe..."

"Mother?" He looked up but all he could see was the blood that coated his mask. The battle had brought all his fears to the surface, he had been fine until Soren cut down a blood thrall that had been sneaking upon him. Being covered in blood and guts had suddenly made things very real and it had caused a full-blown panic attack, the first in almost half a decade.

"You just have to breathe..."

"Mom?" He ripped the mask off his face and looked up…

Only to see it was Aaravos, his golden eyes meeting his own. "Apprentice you have to breathe..."

"I cant...do this..." Callum saw he was in the midst of the battle with blood and smoke everywhere. Wanting to get away from it all and get air that wasn't polluted by smoke and battle he found himself crawling across the ground, trying desperately to ignore the blood that stained the grass beneath him. He wasn't sure where he was going but anywhere was better then here. He crawled and crawled even as the battle raged on around him, all the while he tried to get his breathing under control. He stopped when he reached the water's edge, he had reached the shoreline of the island.

"Breathe, just focus on breathing. Dont focus on anything else." Aaravos instructed, his voice surprisingly calming. "Close your mind to the rest of the world and focus only on your breath, let the sky enter your lungs and calm you..."

Callum did as he was bid and focused only on breathing, blocking out the sounds of battle behind him and everything else other then breathing. After what felt like an eternity he managed to get his breathing under control.

He took in a deep breathe, allowing the air to fill his lungs. The air reeked of burning flesh, oil, and rot yet he had never taken a breath half so sweet.

"Are you okay?"

Callum looked up and saw his teachers form standing on the water in front of him. "No...I...cant do this." His first real taste of combat and he had choked up. He wanted to become a mage to protect his brother and to protect Katolis. How could he do that if he choked up after getting covered in a bit of blood? What kind of soldier, what kind of mage broke so easily? "I choked up...Soren and Claudia are fine but here I am freaking out….I'm weak..."

"You're not." His teacher's voice was firm and hard as steel with as much conviction as he had ever heard the elf speak with. "You're strong."

"You're lying to make me feel better..."

"I never lie," Aaravos replied. "Even if I could lie I wouldn't do it for the sake of making you feel better. I would have far more important things to lie about."

Callum had to bite back a chuckle. "Then you're wrong, what kind of strong person breaks down after one battle?"

"You aren't broken," Aaravos replied. "You are afraid, and that's perfectly natural. I've fought in hundreds of battles in my lifetime, there wasn't a single one where I wasn't afraid." The elf knelt upon the surface of the water, his spectral form not disturbing the water at all. He was at eye-level with Callum now. "You are strong, if I could describe you in one word it would be 'potential' there is so much potential in you. The potential to do great things, the potential to change the world."

"You're crazy."

"Probably." Aaravos shrugged. "But does that make me wrong? I have trained many apprentices in my long life. You are among the greatest, the only one who was your equal in potential and skill was a young woman named Elarion. She went on to change the world, saving millions of lives and she could have brought about a golden age for all of Xadia if fate had been kinder to her...but fate is seldom kind..."

"Elarion?" That name again, he remembered the Leviathan mentioning it. She had been his teacher's greatest followers, his greatest apprentice.

"I shall tell you about her someday, you are so much like her...but also so different." Aaravos shook his head. "For now focus on the present. Your friends are in danger, you need to protect them."

"I cant...I'm not as strong as you..."

"You're right, you're stronger," Aaravos replied sincerely, his tone becoming slightly sad. "You're far stronger then I was when I was your age...If I had been like you...perhaps things might have turned out differently."

"What are you talking about? What is going on?" He had never heard his teacher be so...sincere and normal. The elf usually used witty banter and snide jokes to communicate with Callum, he rarely ever opened up or showed any form of vulnerability. "You're being really nice and supportive...its kind of disturbing."

"On that, we agree," Aaravos replied. "In truth I just dont want you to make the same mistakes I did. I was in a situation like this long ago. I failed those closest to me, and they ended up paying the price that should have been mine to pay. I failed them all. You have to be better then me. You have to fight."

"How?" Callum asked as he looked around at the lagoon before him. He could hear the sounds of battle behind him, screams, the sound of fires burning, and the sound of his friends shouting at one another. He could hear Soren and Corvus letting out war cries and Claudia as she unleashed spells using his sky primal stone. "I dont have a primal stone, I gave them to Soren so that Claudia could defend herself..."

"Those primal stones were meant to help you focus your power. The ocean stone, in particular, was meant to hide your abilities. The stones were never the source of your strength." Aaravos stood up from the surface of the water and gestured to the lagoon before them. "There is your primal stone, the world around you is just one giant primal stone waiting for its power to be harnessed."

"The ocean cant help me fight flying insects..." How was he supposed to use water to win a battle like this? Water could only do so much.

"The ocean can do almost anything," Aaravos replied as he gestured to the moon above. "The moon is full, its a high tide, and we are in a lagoon. This lagoon has water from the sea and water from all the rivers of mainland Evenere meeting each other, their strength mixing in this brackish water. The ocean is strong here, strong enough that if you wanted to you could sink this entire island if you so desired. With this much raw primal energy, you could fight off a dragon if you choose to harness it correctly. In this place of great primal energy almost anything is possible."

He knew his teacher was right, the ocean primal was strongest at high tide, and with the moon full and the strength of Everneres rivers pouring into the sea it meant he could use some truly powerful spells. He knew of several but they were so destructive that they would end up harming his friends. Tidal waves and whirlpools were out of the question so what could he use?

He reached into the water, feelings it cold embrace wrap around his hands like black tentacles.

" _ **From the ocean, you draw strength….Our Ocean...Our**_ _ **Strength**_ _ **…"**_ The Leviathans words reverberated through his head, whether it was a memory or not he wasn't sure but it made him gaze into the black water before him, seeing it in a new light.

He knew what he had to do and what spells to use.

He got up and began tracing a rune in the air, it was a complicated one for the most advanced of spells. As the runes light illuminated the air around him he could see Aaravos smile and nod in approval.

"Incarnatio Oceanus Monstrum"

* * *

Claudia clutched the primal stone in her hand as she traced a rune in the air.

"Aspiro Frigis!" She called out as she unleashed a gale of frost that froze several blood bugs yet more swarmed to take their place. The buildings around them were starting to burn out, soon there wouldn't enough smoke to keep back the rest of the swarm. Assuming they weren't overwhelmed by Blood thralls. More and more kept pouring out of the half-sunken temple, making her wonder just how many dead bodies the insects had gathered up. Claudia looked at the temple and felt despair.

The despair became stronger when she saw the temple doors burst open, causing them to be thrown off their hinges with such force that the doors flew into the lagoon, sinking into the waters below.

What came out of the temple were several massive blood bugs, each one bloated and enormous, being the size of a small elephant. They barely managed to fit out of the doorway into the temple as their massive thorax struggled to fit through the door. The first one crawled out and unfurled a massive set of reflective insect wings that glowed in the light of the fires as it took flight and flew at the expedition.

"Egg guardians!" Pierro yelled out as he summoned forth another fireball from the tip of his staff. The fireball struck the massive insect right in its face, killing it midflight, but its massive form still had momentum and crashed into Pierro, causing his right arm to get crushed under the creature's massive weight. The older man screamed in pain, claiming his arm was broken, yet no one had time to help him as half a dozen blood bugs of similar size took flight.

She was sure this was the end, the expedition was barely holding their own against the blood thralls, but with these new enemies, they wouldn't stand a chance. She fell to her knees as she watched the giant insects approaching forms. She could hear people's cries of fear and despair around her, her brother screaming for her to get up, and she heard Corvus letting out a warcry.

Suddenly she heard the deafening sound of a crashing wave and turned towards the source of the noise.

Her eyes widened when she saw numerous black tentacles rise out of the lagoon and grab several of the giant blood bugs, a few managed to avoid the grasping appendages but three of the massive creatures were now struggling to break loose from the grip of the massive tentacles.

"Kraken!" She heard someone yell.

"It cant be, there hasn't been a Kraken here for over a century!"

"How do you explain that then!?"

Claudia paid their cries no heed as she looked at the tenacles with renewed fascination. She had heard about Krakens and the Leviathans of the deep oceans. They were considered the ocean equivalent of a dragon, and she heard stories about them wiping out entire fleets of ships even dragging dragons down beneath the waves when the two creatures fought each other. She looked at the mighty tentacles that were crushing the insects and flailing about. It was only after several seconds of looking that she realized something.

The tentacles were made out of water.

The giant watery appendages tightened their grasp, she saw that they were partially frozen, giving them the ability to grip their prey but also remain flexible. The blood bugs let out a mournful wale as they were crushed, sending blood and viscera into the air. The tentacles then began to recede into the water, dragging the blood bugs with them as they disappeared into the darkness of the lagoon.

" **At the bottom of the ocean, even light must die!"**

"Callum?" Claudia recognized that voice as belonging to Callum but it was...dark, and angry. Not to mention the fact the voice seemed to have come from everywhere and nowhere.

The sound of water rising drew Claudias attention to the shoreline. Something massive was rising out of the water, it was as tall as the temple itself, a giant Kraken that seemed to be made out of water. It had ten massive grasping tentacles that grasped at the air around it.

What drew Claudias attention was at the very center of the creature, within its watery body she saw Callum, floating within its core, his eyes glowing bright blue with magical energy.

Everyone had frozen to take in the sight of the massive water construct, even the blood bugs and the blood thralls had frozen, their hivemind gazing at the creature that had killed several of their strongest allies.

Claudia saw that Callum hadn't frozen, she saw his small form reach towards the bridge where numerous blood thralls were standing.

The tentacles followed Callum's motions and reached for the blood thralls, grabbing them in their icy grip before promptly dragging them down beneath the waves.

**"The tide rises against you!"** She heard Callum yell as the tentacles of his watery avatar began to grasp at every enemy in sight, crushing their bodies before promptly dragging them beneath the surface of the water before reemerging to do the same once more.

She couldn't believe such a feat of primal magic was possible, even with a primal stone, then she realized something. "Wait...the primal stone.." She opened the bag that Soren had handed to her in the heat of the battle, he claimed Callum had given it to him to deliver to her. She had found the primal stone of sky and promptly used it since she had run out of magical creature parts to use for her dark magic spells.

She looked into the bag and saw the Ocean Primal stone sitting within it, which meant Callum didn't have it which meant…"He doesn't need a primal stone..." She looked at the massive avatar of the ocean as it continued to grab enemies and drag them beneath the water surface, the soldiers had long since gotten over their shock and were helping Callum in wiping out the remaining enemies.

"Impossible..." She muttered as she gazed at Callum, he was still floating in the center of the ocean avatar, his arms guiding the tentacles as they continued their rampage.

The only thing she was certain of right now was that she and the Prince would be having a long talk after this was over.

* * *

_Powerful_

_Overwhelming_

_Tireless_

_Invincible_

Those were just some of the words Callum would use to describe how he felt as he tapped into the ocean arcanum and used it to control the avatar of the ocean that he found himself in the center of.

He felt like he could tear the very world apart with the strength he commanded, the power was intoxicating and it took all of his self-control to not unleash it recklessly upon everything around him. He could feel the water around him as if it were a part of his own body, the water was his skin, his muscles, his blood. His own human body was merely the core of his new form, his body was a heart carved from ice. He felt cold, colder then he had ever felt before but it was good cold, he felt like he was preserved, eternal, and immortal.

He didn't even feel the need to breathe.

The only weakness of this form that he could find was that it took all of his focus to maintain it. He knew that if he tried to use any more spells or even broke his focus that the avatar of water that cloaked his body would fall apart. He had to rely on this forms strength to defeat his enemies.

He watched as several of the larger blood bugs, the ones the size of small elephants flew at him, hoping to attack his new form. He raised his hands in front of him and made a grasping motion with his hands. The large tentacles of his ocean avatar mimicked his movements and moved with unparalleled speed and dexterity, wrapping themselves around the blood bugs before they could even get close to Callum.

He tightened his fists until they turned pale, which caused the avatars tentacles to tighten their own grip on the blood bugs, causing them to explode into a shower of gore, he promptly released them and allowed their shattered forms to fall into the icy black waters of the lagoon below him.

**"They shall feast,"** Callum stated as he sensed all the creatures in the lagoon below him. They were drawn to him, to the primal power of the ocean. He could see the brackish sharks, the eels, the crustaceans, and all manner of fish as they swarmed around his form, devouring the dead that fell into the water. **"Above the ocean's surface we feast upon fish, but beneath the ocean's surface the fish feast upon us!"**

He saw that the sky was filled with the smaller variants of blood bugs, buzzing around aimlessly trying to avoid the smoke from the fires that still burnt on the shoreline below. For this no grace was needed, he began to make grasping motions with his arms, flailing them around in front of him. The numerous tentacles he controlled followed his body's example and began to crash through the air in front of him, their flailing forms crushing all the insects in sight. After half a minute there were barely any of the blood bugs left and the few that hadn't been crushed by the massive appendages fled into the night.

He turned his attention to the last remaining threat, the blood thralls that were attacking his friends. There weren't many left, the soldiers having dealt with most of them but he saw one last giant cluster located on the bridge, charging at the expedition in one final assault.

Callum raised his arms up and brought them down, his ocean avatar copying the motion with all ten of its massive tentacles. They all slammed into the bridge with such force that they not only crushed the blood thralls that had been running across it but they cracked the stone bride in half, shattering it completely.

He looked around and saw that there were no more enemies for him to fight, the few that remained were being wiped out by the soldiers of the expedition.

He allowed himself to relax, the rage fading away, allowing him to be calm for the first time since the battle had started.

However as he felt himself relax the water around him began to churn and he could only watch as the tentacles, and the body of the ocean avatar he had summoned began to lose form and fall back into the lagoon. He felt himself falling with it and all the power, energy, and feelings of invulnerability faded away with the body of the avatar that had surrounded him. Suddenly Callum found himself feeling very weak, tired, and the cold that had once given him comfort suddenly felt like daggers digging into him.

He felt the force of his body hitting the water of the lagoon and he felt himself sinking, as his body sank deeper into the icy black waters he saw all manner of sea creatures swimming around him. Despite the darkness of the water he could see through it perfectly. He saw sharks, eels, crocodiles, and all manner of fish as they ate the meat from the dead blood bugs that had been slain earlier, the black water turning even darker from the blood that filled it.

Before Callum felt himself fade off into unconciousnees he felt something like a metal snake wrap itself around his torso as he felt himself being pulled up to the surface of the water.

The last thing he saw before everything went black was the full moon shining overhead.

* * *

Aaravos let out a tired sigh, as a spirit he had no physical body so he felt no actual physical need to sigh but he couldn't help himself.

Tonight had been awful.

Not just because of the massive battle and the horrible blood bugs and their monstrous blood zombies, although they certainly hadn't helped the situation. It was because he had felt a past being dug up that he thought he had long since buried.

Callum was responsible for all this.

It figuratively killed him to admit it but Callum was very much like himself when he had been younger. A young man who never really fit in, whose gifts and abilities were either underestimated or dismissed entirely by his peers.

He had also once been as awkward as the young human child, something he wished he could forget. Thinking about his childhood often made him want to cringe himself out of existence.

Callum's inability to do proper ' _princely'_ activities such as fighting, riding, and archery had marked him as a failure, and his true talents such as his intellect and artistic ability were underestimated or dismissed entirely. It reminded Aaravos of his own childhood. The same way Callum wasn't a very good Prince, Aaravos hadn't been a very good Startouch elf. His people were so focused on the stars above that they never bothered to look at what was under them or even what was right in front of them. Yet he had been born different, he cared about the world in front of him more then the stars above it, making him an outcast who never fit in. He could still remember their insults and harsh words.

' _What kind of Startouch Elf cant even do simple divination?'_

' _Why do you look to the earth for answers when the stars have all that one would need to know?'_

' _You're eyes dont even glow! They are just fools gold. You're more like a Moonshadow elf with painted skin.'_

' _You're a disgrace to your bloodline, wasting your time on those pointless creations. They are as unnatural as you are!'_

He had proven them all wrong in the end and made them eat their words. Yet it had taken him years to break free of those shackles, most of his young life wasted trying to seek approval from the ignorant drooling neophytes that his people were. Even other elves and the dragons hadn't understood his vision...yet there were a few who had.

He had hoped to bury his past and focus on the future, but tonight had uprooted memories he had hoped to leave behind. Watching Callum choke up and unable to help his friends reminded him of his own regrets, how he had once failed those around him. It had made him feel emotional and caused him to say things he probably shouldn't have said. But he couldn't help it, he didn't want Callum making the same mistakes he had in the past.

"When did I get so sentimental?" He asked himself as he stood on the shore of the lagoon and watched as Callum finished off the last remaining blood bugs. The boy's magical ability was growing at an amazing rate, the sheer potential he had, the way he embraced primal magic and allowed himself to embody it. Aaravos had only seen such potential and natural affinity for magic in one other person.

Elarion…

She had been his greatest triumph and his greatest failure. He shook his head to banish her from his mind, both her and the city that she had built was out of his reach, there was no point in dwelling on it now. For now, he had to focus on getting his newest apprentice ready for the trials that were coming, and find a way to get himself a new body made out of flesh and blood. If his apprentice wasn't so averse to dark magic the process would be simple but Callum was repulsed by the art despite its many uses. He could force the boy to use dark magic but he knew it would end up breaking the boy's spirit, and he wanted Callum unbroken. His apprentice would have a part to play in the events that would come.

He watched as Callum's Ocean avatar faltered, the boy's body falling into the water. His first instinct was to run after the boy and try to save him but as an incorporeal spirit, there wasn't much he could do.

Thankfully Callum's bodyguard Corvus managed to snag the boy with that chain and hook he used as a weapon and reeled the boy in. The man managed to pull Callums form out of the water, His apprentice was pale but breathing. A part of him was worried but he cast that worry aside. If his apprentice was in any real danger he would feel it, their bond made him aware of when the boy's life was in peril. Callum would be fine after a good night's sleep, channeling that much primal energy through one's body was exhausting.

He watched as the young dark sorceress took control of the situation. The dark mage whose name he had already forgotten who had been in charge of the expedition had been pinned under a large bloodbug, his arm shattered in numerous ways. From a passing glance, Aaravos knew the man's arm was beyond saving.

He watched as the dark sorceress ordered the wounded taken back to the ship. While she ordered as many corpses of the fallen creatures gathered up along with the remains fo their nest. Thankfully Callum's bodyguard ordered that as many insects as possible be captured alive in the crates that they had for the prince's experiments. The girl protested but the older boy had the samples gathered regardless.

For that Aaravos was thankful, he needed live creatures if he hoped to find a cure. Humanity's over-reliance on dark magic was slightly annoying, they were little better then elves, close-minded and bound to only what they know rather then seeking out new answers to old problems. IF Elarion hadn't been struck down perhaps humanity could have risen above dark magic but she had failed and now humanity was almost as backward as the elves in Xadia.

He turned to the young sorceress, Claudia, the object of his apprentice's infatuation. The girl was watching Callum's unconscious form be carried away. In her green eyes, he saw worry, concern, sadness, but he also saw suspicion and jealousy.

He disliked that look on the girl's face almost as much as he disliked her. The girl was on a path to self-destruction, and he didn't want Callum anywhere near her when she finally did destroy herself. His apprentice could do far better then someone like her, he would have to teach his young ward how to be charming and charismatic around the opposite sex. Once Callum was able to charm females on his own the boy's obsession with the dark sorceress would fade away as an entirely new world would open up to him.

At least he hoped that was the case, he didn't want his apprentice to obsess over one girl. Such behavior was unhealthy and created self-destructive desperation and desperation only attracted vultures.

Aaravos also didn't approve of the way Claudia dressed, it simply screamed 'I have Daddy issues' he knew from experience that such females should be avoided, at least until you had more experience under your belt. His first choice would be Callum dating a Skywing elf for an easy first relationship or even an Earthblood elf girl, but with the division of the continent and generations of hatred between humans and elves that would be difficult to accomplish.

"What am I even doing?' he asked himself. "Worrying about the boy's future romantic life instead of what's important..." He should be focusing on curing this plague so that he and his apprentice could get the hell out of Evenere. It felt like they had been here for an eternity. He needed his apprentice to tap into all the other primal sources, the boy would need the power soon enough, especially if he kept getting into these life and death situations.

"I think whatever fate the dragons had in store for me would have at least been easier then this, training a young prince..." He watched as the soldiers carried Callum off towards the ship on a makeshift stretcher. "Still, I guess in the end its worth it. Its good to be a teacher again, even if my only student is a prince who is ignorant of his own mortality."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well glad this chapter is over with, I am terrible at writing fight scenes, especially large battles. I tried to give as many POVs as possible during the battle to make it interesting, I hope that helped.
> 
> Soren is actually extremely easy to write, he is so straightforward as a character that I barely had to write an internal monologue with him.
> 
> Callum's Ocean avatar spell was only possible because of how strong the ocean primal was, the moon was high, the tide was high, and the lagoon had tons of energy. If he tried using the same spell in the middle of a town nothing would happen so he isn't exactly OP, primal magic relies a great deal on where you are and how strong nature is around you. The Spell itself is based on Aang's final form in the season 1 finale of Avatar where Aang merges with the ocean spirit and becomes Koizilla, only instead of a giant Koi fish, Callum's avatar is shaped like a Kraken. Its why I had the Leviathan take on the form of a koi fish when it first communicated with Callum. I love references...maybe a bit too much. Hell, I had Aaravos made a spongebob reference a few chapters ago, I really am out of control.
> 
> Overall...not much else to say. Season 3 is coming out in a little over a month, hopefully, I didn't write in too many things that get retconned. Aaravos, in particular, will no doubt be retconned to hell. I kind of covered my ass with tagging this as AU.
> 
> Aaravos is hard to write, I try to do as few POV sections with him as possible. This chapter we see a little more of a glimpse into how I envision him. The creators of the show claim he is based on Prometheus. So I tend to write him like a Greek tragedy, sort of like Prometheus, or as one of my reviewers pointed out as Hades. Also, the creation of Elarion as both a city and Aaravos greatest student will come into play, we may even learn more about her in the next chapter...whenever that's coming out.
> 
> Some people messaged me claiming they knew the corrupted spear that I had Sovaraa mention in the last chapter. If you dont know what I'm talking about look at the season 3 poster art. Let's just say Callum won't exactly approve of what Harrow does.
> 
> Please leave a review/comments/ kudos. I post this to both and Archive and I'm too lazy to write separate authors' notes.
> 
> No clue when the next chapter is coming out, as the master of procrastination George R.R martin would say
> 
> "It'll be ready when it's ready, Bwahahahahaahahahahaha"-George R.R Martin
> 
> I added the evil laugh to the quote but we all know he adds the laugh in his head after he says that.


	11. Chapter 11

"Now for a bit of blood bug venom," Callum muttered as he added several drops into the small bronze cauldron as the mixture within boiled a light red coloration. Once the venom entered the cauldon the mixture turned dark red and simmered, sending up a plume of smoke into Callum's face. Thankfully he was wearing his plague mask which worked well against noxious mixtures as well as diseased air as it purified the air he breathed.

"Very good." Aaravos proclaimed as he looked at the mixture, his face showing a look of great satisfaction. "You're a natural at alchemy."

"Thank you." Callum allowed himself to relax, he was in his makeshift laboratory on the top floor of his tower in Queen Fareedas palace. It had been five days since the expedition to the drowned town and the _Battle of Blood Bay_ which was the term people called the battle against the nest of blood bugs. He had fallen unconscious after losing control of his ocean avatar and had woken up in the palace a day later.

When he first woke up he asked if anyone had died during the battle. There had only been six men who died during the course of the battle, a tragic loss but a small price to pay for the chance to save an entire city. There had also been many broken bones, deep cuts, and a few limbs that needed to be amputated for some of the surviving soldiers. The losses were tragic but with the battle over it seemed like the worst had passed.

Until a few days later when Soren had fallen ill with the plague. Most likely due to him taking off his plague mask during the battle and allowing himself to be covered in blood and guts during the battle. Now it was a race against time to find a cure before Soren succumbed to the disease like so many others before him.

Claudia had barely left Soren's side as she turned one of the towers of the palace into her own lab where she was treating her brother in a desperate search for a cure using her dark magic. Callum left her to her devices as he looked for his own cure with his teacher.

Over the last few days, they had been experimenting on ways to create a proper cure. Luckily they had tons of reagents to work with, the most valuable being numerous live blood bugs that were held in various cages around his lab. They discovered that it was the blood bugs venom that neutralized the plague which allowed the insects to drink from diseased bodies since they injected their venom first before feeding on the blood of a corpse. Yet bloodbug venom was harmful to humans so they had to somehow render the venom harmless to humans while maintaining its plague neutralizing capabilities.

Which was why this solution he watched boil was the thirteenth attempt at creating a successful cure. All the while Soren grew sicker, he hoped that his friend and bodyguard would last long enough for a cure to be created.

"So how long does this have to boil?" Callum asked as he peered at the red mixture. "Is there any way to speed up the process? More heat maybe?"

"Patience my apprentice, it will take at least half an hour on a low boil." Aaravos soothed. "More heat would break down the venom enzymes and render the batch useless. I know you worry about your friend but we must go forward carefully. The very things that can cure a person could kill them if prepared incorrectly, when it comes to medicine there can be little to no margin for error. Our bodies are far more fragile then you would think."

That wasn't what Callum wanted to hear. "Great, more waiting while Soren and hundreds of others all slowly die from this damn disease..." He scoffed as he walked away from his alchemy lab and sat down in a nearby armchair.

"We could pass the time with a good book." Aaravos grabbed a thick tome from one of the bookshelves in the room. "I wrote this one recently cataloging all I know about micro-organisms."

"Nothing too complicated, my brain feels like it's going to turn to mush..."

"That's because you've barely slept at all this last week." Aaravos pointed out. "You should take a nap, I can wake you when the mixture is completed."

"I dont want to sleep..." Callum grumbled as he sank deeper into the chair. "Just do something to help pass the time, tell me a story..."

Aaravos scoffed at that statement. "Tell you a story? Would you also like me to make you some milk and cookies? Maybe tuck you into bed with a teddy bear?" The elf asked, his tone oozing with sarcasm.

"That all sounds good, chocolate chip cookies, please. If I see anything with raisins in it I might kill you."

"I'm already dead."

"Which means you have a free schedule, so tell me a story."

"Just because I'm dead that doesn't mean my time isn't precious." Aaravos crossed his arms. "I hate it when you act like a child."

"You hate it when I act like anything." Callum sat up straight in the chair he was in and shot his teacher a small smile. "Look at you, all grumpy. It wasn't that long ago you were giving me encouraging speeches, telling me how proud you were of me, how I'm the greatest apprentice you've ever had and all manner of wonderful things. I might have shed a tear if I hadn't been having a panic attack and been in the middle of a battle."

Aaravos looked away, and Callum could tell the elf was flustered. "I was just saying that stuff to get you to stop freaking out. That little panic attack of yours could've gotten you killed, and worse that would have meant that I would've been sealed away back into the key."

"You care about me, admit it." Callum had teased his teacher a few times since he had woken up, although the search for a cure to the plague took priority so he hadn't really had time to talk to his teacher about the night of the battle. "You like hanging out with me."

"Not like I have an alternative..." Aaravos grumbled. "Look...I...you...remind me a bit of myself when I was younger. I didn't want you making the same mistakes I made. I once had everything an elf could want before it was taken from me. I made so many bad decisions in the last few centuries of my life I can barely recall all of them."

Callum felt the atmosphere get serious, so he shifted his tone to a more serious one to fit the situation. "It's hard to imagine someone like you ever being like me, or making mistakes. You seem like the type of person who knows everything and always comes out ahead."

Aaravos chuckled at Callum's words. "Do you honestly believe that I ended up an incorporeal spirit bound to a child because I made good life decisions?" he asked, amusement evident in his voice. "My life has been nothing but high peaks and low valleys, no real in-between. I've experienced things beyond description, learned knowledge that no other person has even begun to scratch the surface of. But I also lost a great deal on my quest for knowledge, many paid the price for my mistakes."

"Are you talking about Elarion?" Callum asked, wanting to address the elephant in the room. "You mentioned her during the battle. You said I was like her, and that she was amazing but something bad happened to her."

Aaravos's face grew melancholic. "I did mention her didnt I?" He muttered, his tone filled with sadness. "Let's just say that she fell because she chose to follow me and embrace my teachings. The path I set her on...its a long and complicated story..."

Callum gestured to the chair across from him. "I wanted a story and we have time."

"Fine..." Aaravos didn't take the offered seat but he nodded and agreed to tell the story. "I guess we should start with who Elarion was." He began, his tone taking on a wistful nature. "Elarion was born over a thousand years ago, she was a bastard daughter born of a nobleman's affair with his cook. Elarion grew up as a scullion in the nobleman's kitchens, scrubbing pots and washing dishes. She might have been the nobleman's daughter but she was a bastard, he kept her sheltered and fed out of a sense of duty but did not care for her the way a father should care for a daughter. The only joy she had in life was drawing and painting with supplies that her mother bought her using their meager wages."

"The nobleman was a glutton, a disgusting man who was fat, and lustful. So it came as no surprise when one day as he climbed the stairs of his manorhouse that his heart gave out. The household, title, and lands passed to his lady wife. The woman's first act was to expel Elarion and her mother from the manor, not wanting to see a living reminder of her former husband's infidelity. Elarion was only thirteen years old at the time. She and her mother were cast out with only the clothes on their backs. They survived by working odd-jobs with Elarion taking up painting on the side, her art was brilliant and sold well enough for them to make a modest living. But all that came to an end when winter came, a terrible winter that lasted over a year."

"Is that normal?" Callum asked he had never heard of that type of weather. "A winter that lasts a year...sounds awful."

"Weather back then was more...temperamental then it is now. When Xadia was one land things worked differently due to the way magic saturated the land."

Callum nodded and fell silent as he listened with renewed interest.

"It was a terrible winter, Elarions mother fell ill. Elarion worked harder then ever trying to get enough money for medicine and food for them to survive. She begged, she painted, and she worked her hands to the bone to make enough money to save her mother but it wasn't enough. The inn where they were staying cast them out when they ran out of money. Elarion's mother succumbed to sickness rather quickly after that due to exposure to the elements. Elarion carried her mother's body into the woods and dug a grave for her. The problem was that Elarion herself was starving and weak, digging the grave took all the energy she had left. After placing her mother in the grave she fell alongside her, embracing her mother's corpse as the snow fell upon them, she was prepared to die."

"This is depressing..."

"What were you expecting?" Aaravos asked, sarcasm evident in his voice. "Were you expecting a story about unicorns and rainbows? Now let me finish, one more interruption and I won't ever tell you a story again."

"Okay..."

Aaravos cleared his throat as he began once more. "That's when I found her, I was wandering the world at the time. I quite literally stumbled upon her when I fell into the grave she had dug, imagine my surprise when I found a starved, and half-frozen fourteen-year-old girl clutching her dead mother in a hastily dug grave. I took her out of that grave, nursed her back to health using magic but as I was preparing to be one my way Elarion stopped me. She begged me to teach her magic, I refused. I had no interest in an apprentice at the time. I left her but she followed me and wouldn't stop following me for weeks, begging me to teach her how to use magic. I tried everything to avoid her, I walked across rivers using ocean magic to walk on the water. She forded the rivers and nearly drowned several times. I blocked her with earth magic by creating giant walls of rock to hinder her path, she climbed over them with only her bare hands. I used moon magic to create illusions to confuse her but she somehow always saw through them and found me. After weeks of following me, she was weak, injured, and starved, so I had to nurse her back to health again. This time when she begged me to teach her I agreed mostly out of frustration."

"I taught her all I knew, and she soaked it all up like a sponge. She grew up to be a charming young woman with an ability in magic I had never seen anyone possess much less a human. She was the first human to ever master all six primal sources, a feat even elves find difficult with only a few ever managing it. I had never met anyone quite like her in all my thousands of years of existence. I watched her pull herself up from blood and filth until she was as knowledgeable and wise as the greatest elven scholars in all of Xadia. She had survival and ambition, art and magic, with cunning and charisma that won the hearts and minds of everyone around her. She took all the abuse the world could deal out and somehow managed to rise to the top. One of her greatest achievements was the magic that I taught you. She called it _'The Way of The Painted World'_ she wanted to bring her art to life, to make the world that existed in her mind and upon the canvas a reality. She did so by tapping into magics I thought no longer existed."

"I remember now," Callum remembered Aaravos mention this all those years ago when the elf was teaching him how to bring his paintings to life. "You said that the greatest human city of the time was named after her."

"Indeed, it was the first true human city to ever exist, before that humanity was scattered into smaller settlements with a lord or baron ruling over them, sometimes a self-styled king or queen would rise but they only presided over a few small settlements at a time. Elarion and several others brought those scattered communities together to form the first real city of humanity. Using dark magic they managed to create a city that rivaled the greatest elven cities of the time. It was decided that the city would be named _Elarion_ in her honor. Elarion wanted a place where no family would ever have to suffer the way she had suffered. She wanted a place where humanity could flourish, where children would never fear starvation or sickness. That's what always amazed me about her, she never let her past rule her or make her bitter. It made her want to help others so that they wouldn't suffer as she had, the world never managed to break her...it made me realize that I needed to let go of much of my own past. She believed that Utopia could exist in the world rather in people's dreams. She always put others before herself, she sacrificed, she endured, and when given the chance she forgave….always. She was...a special woman."

"You said I was like her," Callum remembered his teacher's words from a week ago. "I dont see how I'm like her, she sounds amazing. I'm just...me"

"You lack her charisma, physical combat ability, and natural grace but there are similarities," Aaravos replied thoughtfully. "Your art is almost identical to hers, you're the only one I've seen the with ability to equal her in terms of magical paintings. You also have an ability in primal magic which I have only seen in her before, your ability to embrace the ocean as your first primal source is proof of that. You also share her absolute distaste for dark magic, she believed it to be cruel and unnatural."

That last part confused Callum. "But you said the city of Elarion was founded with dark magic, why would she use something she hated so much?"

"Because there was no other choice," Aaravos replied. "It took six years for Elarion to master the primal sources, six years of training and meditation under the tutelage of a great archmage like myself. It was the fastest I had ever seen anyone master the primal sources, it took me decades although in my case I had to master them by myself without anyone's guidance. The common human doesn't have that kind of free time even if they were as naturally gifted as her, primal magic simply wasn't a realistic option for humanity at the time. Winters of that era were harsh and magic was needed to survive, dark magic was the only way. Without dark magic humanity would have gone back to barely surviving. You cant even imagine the suffering, parents buried more children then they raised, people died from diseases even worst then the plague ravaging Evenere right now. Suffering was everywhere in the world. Elarion hated dark magic but she allowed its use for the sake of survival. Yet she dreamed of a new way forward, a way for humanity to rise above dark magic. Sadly she never got the chance to make that dream a reality."

"Why didn't she? What happened to her?"

"The elves and dragons sought to destroy her and her city because they were angered by humanity's use of dark magic." Aaravos's tone had turned cold and icy. "Elarion chose to defend the city she had helped build, and she fell defending it."

"She died?"

"She fell," Aaravos replied. "The dragons and elves are known to be harsh when dispensing their archaic justice upon those that anger them. It's rather funny when you think about it. The elves and dragons wanted humanity to stop using dark magic, yet they struck down the one person who could have made that happen. If she had more time she would have found a way for humanity to flourish without dark magic, she thought she had found a way, a key to humanity's salvation but fell before she could make her dream a reality. She was the most brilliant mind to ever grace Xadia and the elves in their ignorance lashed out and destroyed everything she had tried so hard to build...she would have made a better world, the world as it should be."

"So where were you when-"

"-That's enough." Aaravos cut Callum off. "I told you a story and told you about Elarion, my greatest apprentice and the greatest human city of the era. I know you're curious about me and my past but please respect my privacy. There are reasons I dont like to talk about it."

"Sorry." Callum did feel bad about making his teacher talk about so much personal stuff but he couldn't help but be interested. "You've just...lived an interesting life, I like hearing about it."

"It's fine, it's natural for you to be curious." Aaravos replied, his tone becoming lighter "It's just...Elarion is a sensitive topic for me. There are times where I wonder if it would've been better if I had never trained her in magic. She could have gone off and lived her own life, making a living with her art as she traveled the world. Or perhaps she might have married an apprentice boy or innkeepers son and filled his house with children. She might have died at a ripe old age surrounded by loved ones. Instead, I set her on a path that led to her downfall before even a single one of her hairs could turn grey….I gave her everything I could. I gave her power, magic, knowledge, everything I had, things I never imagined sharing with anyone else...but in the end, I couldn't give her the one thing she needed most of all, which was time..."

"I'm sorry that she's gone." Callum offered weakly, not sure what to say. "I shouldn't have brought it up."

"There was no way you could have known." Aaravos walked over to a nearby window and gazed out of it. "On the night you had your panic attack I was panicking a bit as well. It reminded me of just how many apprentices I have lost. I personally trained many human mages in my lifetime. None of them died of natural causes, I didn't want you being another one of my failures. Nor did I want you to lose your friends the same way I lost mine."

The room was silent for at least thirty seconds, Callum wasn't sure what to say. Should he offer condolences? Advice? What comfort could he offer an ancient elf that had lost pretty much everything?

Thankfully it was Aaravos who ended the awkward silence.

"Look at me talking the day away, that plague solution should be ready for purification." The elf turned back towards the alchemy lab. "Come, apprentice, we have much work to do. This city needs our brilliance to save it from this plague. Put on your mask and protective gloves, we have a cure to brew."

"Right." Callum got up and put on his protective equipment, yet as he helped his teacher he couldn't help but think about Elarion and his teacher's other apprentices and what the world was like all those years ago. In the end, he simply found himself hoping he didn't share the same fate as his teacher's other apprentices, he kind of hoped to die of natural causes.

 _'Between magic, plagues, and fighting off magical monsters as an ocean avatar the odds of me dying a natural death seem less and less likely.'_ He thought as he got to work on the cure.

* * *

Nothing was working.

Claudia had tried everything to cure Soren, every single skill and spell her father had taught her and none of it worked. She had turned the spear tower of Fareedas palace into her own personal lab so that she could quarantine Soren and work on a cure for him in peace. She had spent the last three days trying to find a cure but nothing worked.

She looked at her brother's prone form as he lay on a simple mattress in the middle of her lab. It barely looked like Soren, his usual fair skin was now ghostly pale, his hair had even turned a paler shade of blond. The worst thing was that he looked so weak, her brother who had always been so strong, always showing off his muscles and doing push-ups for no reason whatsoever was now too weak to even feed himself.

He had started coughing up blood this morning which meant he didn't have much time left. She had tried everything to cure him, every single thing her father had taught her but nothing had worked. Her lab was riddled with used up creature parts from all her failed dark magic spells. She was starting to run out of reagents on top of running out of time.

She walked over to one of the many bookshelves and grabbed a book, it was a thick tome her father had lent her before she left Katolis. She skimmed it over, hoping to find an answer, anything that could help her brother, something her father hadn't taught her.

"Claudia..." her brother's weak voice called weakly, barely above a whisper.

Claudia set the tome down on a nearby table and ran up to her brother's side. "Do you need something Soren? Are you hungry? I can heat up some broth for you." She looked him over and saw he was shivering, she grabbed another sheet and covered him with it.

"Its okay Claudia..." Soren coughed, bringing up flecks of blood to his lips which she wiped away with a clean rag. "You need to rest...youve been at this for days."

"I won't rest until I cure you." She grabbed his right hand with her own, she wore thick gloves to make sure he didn't infect her but even so she could feel how cold his hand was. "I just need to find the right spell, I'm going to save you, I'm going to get you out of here."

"I would like that." Soren smiled weakly. "But if you cant cure me, tell mom that I'm sorry. I chose to stay with dad because I wanted to make him proud and because I wanted to stay in Katolis. I wanted to visit her but...just tell her I'm sorry I couldn't say goodbye. And tell dad I'm sorry I couldn't make him proud, I know I'm not the type of son he wanted...thankfully he had you, someone, smart that he could be proud of..."

"Our dad is proud of you." She felt tears flowing freely, they were making the glass eyeholes of her mask fog up. "And our mom...we will see her once I cure you. Even so, you dont owe her anything, she left us. Dont worry about her and instead focus on me, just stay with me."

"Okay..." Soren closed his eyes and appeared to drift off into a restless sleep leaving Claudia to try and find a way to save him.

She picked up the tome and skimmed through it looking for anything that might help. She eventually came upon a page near the end that caught her interest.

"Essence transfer?" She read aloud and read the page, soaking in the information like a sponge. She realized what she had to do was risky, extremely risky and it might not even work. She looked around the lab at all her reagants, she had exhausted almost all of them and this spell required living creatures.

She knew what she had to do.

* * *

Callum bottled up the first vial of his latest concoction, the elixir was a deep red and smelled like cherries. "So….this is attempt number thirteen, not the luckiest number." He muttered as he set the small glass bottle aside.

"I'm confident this is the one, also in Ocean elf culture the number thirteen is considered extremely lucky," Aaravos stated as he gazed at the mixture. "This brew is imbued with a homeopathic solution from sea creature extract and purified blood bug venom enzymes. This will neutralize the plague and reinforce the immune system and body of anyone who drinks it. it will repair the damage done by the disease. I dare so it won't just cure this plague, it could probably help a human body fight off numerous other things."

"I think I understand how it works." Callum had learned a great deal about medicine from this entire experience if it wasn't for the rush to cure a plague he might have even enjoyed it. "I'm also glad you dont have to kill any creatures to make it. Although the blood bugs dont enjoy being milked of their venom and the swamp lions weren't a fan of us trimming their manes." He looked over at the swamp lions in their cages, their manes significantly shortened making them look more like a small lizard.

"A small price to pay, they'll grow back." Aaravos picked up the bottle and gazed at its contents once more, like a jeweler gazing at a priceless gem. "Now all we need is a test subject."

Those were easy enough to find, so many were infected and desperate for a cure that people were stumbling over themselves to test out the first twelve brews they had made. None of them worked although some people claimed they felt slightly better after drinking it. "We should try Soren, he's close by and needs it."

"Perhaps, but we should first-"

The sound of the door to the room was flung open and Callum turned and saw Claudia walking in her stride was quick and purposeful. She exuded an aura of authority that made Callum momentarily back away before he managed to collect himself. Callum's first fear was that she would see his teacher but he saw Aaravos had already hidden in the corner of the room, outside of Claudia's gaze. Callum stepped forward into her path. "Claudia, what are doing here?"

"I need them." She stated, pointing at the numerous live specimens he had next to his alchemy station.

It took several seconds for Callum to realize what she meant. "No," he said, stepping up to her to block her path. She was two years his senior but he had grown like a weed over the last six months, he was looking down on her. "You will not touch them."

"Soren is getting worse, he's dying. I can save him. All I need is the magic of those creatures."

Callum saw that Claudia wasn't in the right state of mind. She had her plague mask wrapped around her neck which allowed him to look at her face. She had massive bags under her eyes, her normally vibrant green eyes were dull and had a look of madness to them. "When was the last time you ate or slept? You look like a mess and you're acting crazy."

"Step aside." She ordered, her eyes glaring at him with an intensity he had never seen before. "I won't let anything get between me and my brother's salvation, not even a lying little prince like you."

"Lying?" Callum didn't understand what she was saying. "What are you talking about Claudia?"

"I know your secret."

Callum felt a cold chill go down his spine at her implication. Did she know about Aaravos? Or something else? He had so many secrets these days it was hard to keep track. "I dont know what you're-"

"-Dont bullshit me!" Claudia interjected. "I saw you perform primal magic without a primal stone. You had Soren give them to me during the battle, I saw both of them in the bag but you were still able to perform primal magic without it!"

"That..." Callum found himself at a loss for words and he also found himself cursing his own stupidity. He had given Soren those stones because he was having a panic attack at the time and was pretty sure he wouldn't be able to perform magic. It only made sense to give them to Claudia during that battle. "I can explain-"

"-I'm sure you cant, and even if you could I wouldn't care." Claudia interrupted once more. "I dont give a shit about your secrets or why you've been lying. I'm here to save my brother and with every second we waste he slips closer to death. Now step aside Callum."

His previous fear at his secret being found out evaporated and he steeled himself. "No, if you would just listen I might have a-" Before he could finish his sentence he felt an intense pain in his stomach as he felt the wind get knocked out of him. He would never in a million years have expected Claudia to hit him and the suddenness of the blow and strength behind it surprised him and caused him to stumble backward as he tried to regain his breath.

Claudia strode past him and towards the creature cages in the corner of the room. Callum regained his composure and picked himself up. He saw Claudia was about to cast a spell and was about to run at her, intent on stopping this madness. Yet before he had the chance he felt a pair of strong arms grab him and pull him back.

"Dont, this will only end badly," Aaravos ordered as she pulled Callum to the back of the room, out of Claudia's sight. Callum struggled against his teacher's grasp but it seemed like the elf's painted body was extremely strong since Callum couldn't even make the elf's body budge.

He could only watch as Claudia was surrounded by terrible dark energy as she began reciting an incantation. The air grew thick and felt dirty somehow like it was being corrupted. Claudia's flesh turned pale, a sickly pale that made her look like a ghost, her eyes turned pitch black like two black holes that seemed to suck in the light of the room.

Callum struggled against his teacher's grasp. "Let me go before she-" A four-fingered hand clamped itself over his mouth stopping him from saying anything.

"You'll only get hurt, there is no stopping her now," Aaravos stated with finality. "I never thought it would happen this quickly, her brother's sickness seems to have been the last straw."

Callum was blinded by a flash of light and then he heard the screams. He hard the swamp lions crying out in anguish, the numerous toads, frogs, and other creatures he had collected let out mournful wales, so loud and pained that it sounded like they were being tortured. Thankfully it was all over after several seconds and Callum could only look in horror at what Claudia had become.

She looked like a monster.

She looked like a horrible banshee, her hair seemed to float around her head as if it was caught in a breeze, her eyes glowed a terrible dark purple, her hands and forearms had dark magic encircling them that crackled with electricity and blue fire.

Claudia walked out of the room, paying Callum no mind whatsoever as she left through the door she had entered. Once she left the air grew lighter and easier to breathe. Callum felt his teacher's grip loosen and he immediately wrestled out of his teachers grasp and ran over to the creature cages.

All that was left were shriveled husks, all of them had been drained completely of life. He opened one of the cages and tried grabbing one of the male swamp lions but it turned to dust the second his fingers brushed up against it. "Oh god...I'm so sorry." He couldn't believe this, they were reduced to nothing. He had planned to release them back into a wild once the cure was done and distributed. He turned to his teacher, his shock and sadness turned to anger. "Why did you stop me? I could have stopped her from doing this!"

"You might have died." Aaravos retorted. "She was using her dark magic to drain the primal essence from those creatures, she might have drained you as well. You're especially vulnerable now that you have a piece of the ocean arcanum dwelling within you. I wasn't going to let you risk your life for a few animals."

Callum deflated upon hearing that, this was almost too surreal. He had always known Claudia's use of dark magic wasn't healthy but he never thought she would do something like this. "Why would she do this? She said it was to cure Soren but how is draining these creatures going to accomplish that?'

"It won't," Aaravos muttered with a tone that spoke of frustration. "She is most likely attempting an essence transfer, giving the creature's magical energy to her brother in an attempt to heal him. Such a thing can heal broken bones, nerves, ruptured organs, and even common disease but this is a magical plague, a magical plague that's resistant to all dark magic attempts to cure it. At best it will do nothing, at worst it will fuel the plague and make the boy's condition worse." . At best it will do nothing, at worst it will fuel the plague and make the boy's condition worse."

"We have to stop her." He was about to run after her but felt his teachers hand grab his arm and hold him back.

"Touch her when she's full of that much dark magic and you will only end up getting hurt!" Aaravos yelled in a tone that brokered no argument. "She has sealed her fate with her recklessness and perhaps her brothers as well, I won't let you get caught in the crossfire!"

"So that's your advice?" Callum pushed his freed himself from the elf's grip. "That's what Aaravos the Midnight Star, self-proclaimed greatest archmage and teacher to some of the greatest mages in existence has decreed? You suggest I just stand here and let my friends destroy themselves? What happened to all that stuff you were saying before about me protecting my friends?"

"I never said we would do nothing." Aaravos walked over to the alchemy lab and grabbed the glass bottle filled with their latest cure attempt. "You have to be smart about this, let your psychotic friend attempt her cure, once she has expelled all that dark magic we can attempt to repair whatever damage she might inflict." he handed the glass bottle to Callum. "Give this to your bullheaded bodyguard once his sister has attempted her hopeless stunt, hopefully, it works. If not...theres no time to brew another batch. This is a _do or die_ situation, literally."

Callum grabbed the bottle and ran after Claudia, he ran down all the flights of stairs of the tower he was staying in and saw Corvus at the bottom of the stairs.

"Your girlfriend just ran by looking like a vampire crossed with a banshee, what the hell is that girls problem?" Corvus asked as he fell in alongside Callum, matching his running speed.

"She's trying to cure Soren but she's just going to make things worse." As he ran down the halls he looked at Corvus. 'Why didn't you try to stop her?"

"You dont pay me enough to try stopping a girl who looks like that." Corvus put forward. "That little bitch is crazy, I dont mess with that kind of crazy, not on the salary you pay me."

"I dont pay you at all."

"Exactly."

Callum ignored his bodyguard in favor of the bottle in his hands as he ran down the halls of the palace, holding the bottle of red liquid in his hands, the bottle which might contain Sorens only hope.

* * *

Soren accepted his fate.

He was going to die here, on a sickbed, in the middle of a foreign kingdom far from home. He had always hoped to die in glorious battle, maybe fighting a dragon, or defeating an army of elves, or an army of elves riding dragons. Some type of awesome battle where his death would be so incredible that the people of Katolis would erect a statue of him somewhere. Preferably a statue where he was depicted as shirtless so that future generations would know just how much of a perfect body he had.

Instead, he was dying because he was an idiot who removed his protective plague mask during a battle where blood and guts were flying everywhere. People didn't erect statues for guys who died like that, he highly doubted he would even get a memorial plaque. "I wish this disease was a person, then I could just kick its ass." He muttered, tasting the coppery tang of blood in his mouth. He wanted to beat this disease but how do you beat something you cant punch in the face?

Suddenly the doors to his room swung open, slamming into the walls with such force that Soren felt his bed shake. He angled his head up and saw his sister.

"Claud's?" He couldn't believe what he was looking at, he wasn't even sure if it was his sister. Her black hair was hovering around her as if caught in a breeze, the green eyes that she inherited from their mother were now glowing with dark purple energy, and her body was coated in magic. "What happened to you? What are you doing?"

"I'm saving you." Claudia raised her hands and he saw dark blue lighting shoot out of them and enter his body.

Pain unlike any he ever felt overcame him and he did everything he could to avoid screaming out loud. It felt like his body was on fire. The pain felt like it lasted for an eternity, though in truth it most likely lasted only several seconds. The pain suddenly stopped and he saw his sister collapse to her knees, the magic leaving her body.

"Soren" He heard Claudia mutter, her voice weak and raspy. "Do you feel better?"

Despite the terrible pain he had been in he found the strength to set himself up in bed, allowing him a better view of his sister. He did feel slightly better, he felt like some of his strength was returning. "I actually feel-" He coughed up blood, more blood then he had been coughing previously, his chest felt like it was tearing itself apart and he felt warm tears flowing down his face. He reached up with a hand and touched them, he looked at his hand and saw it was red with blood.

He had started weeping blood like all the other plague victims.

He looked at Claudia, her eyes were pitch black and featureless but he could see the fear and panic in them.

"No!" His sister screamed as she ran up to his side. "I did everything right! I did everything just like father! Why won't it work?!" Tears ran down her face as she collapsed onto the floor of the room, her form prone and motionless.

Soren tried to reach for her but he felt strength leave his body as his world began to fade to black.

"Soren, stay with me and drink this."

Soren felt something touch his lips and felt liquid going down his throat, it tasted like cherries. His body began to feel numb as all the pain faded away, yet he also felt weaker and he could feel himself falling asleep. He opened his eyes and saw the face of a familiar prince.

He turned to where Claudia had fallen and saw Corvus helping the girl up, she was still unconscious, her face sickly pale, the skin around her eyes were purple. The last thing he saw before he allowed sleep to overcome him was his sister's hair, which had always been as black as night, it now had a streak of it falling over her face that was as white as bone.

* * *

Callum wanted to collapse into his bed after today but there was still so much to do.

After dealing with the fallout of Claudia's dark magic he had both Claudia and Soren moved to one of the lower floors of his tower, turning it into a makeshift hospital. Soren had recovered although he was still weak, he had stopped coughing and weeping blood showing that the cure did in fact work.

He had Queen Fareeda notified immediately and she got to work gathering the remaining members of the College of Enchanters and had them get to work on mass-producing the cure he and Aaravos had created. She also sent out several expeditions to capture more creatures to make the cure. He would leave the rest to her, with so many doctors and College members focusing on brewing the cure it fell to him to treat his friends.

Callum walked over to Claudia, she was shivering in bed as she tossed and turned. It looked like she was having nightmares.

"Should I tie her down?" Corvus asked as he leaned against one of the walls of the room. He had been watching Claudia like a hawk ever since her freakout. "Chain her up to make sure she doesn't try anything else?"

"No," Callum ordered firmly, he touched Claudia's forehead with the back of his hand and it somehow felt like she was burning up and freezing. "I dont think she'll be trying anything for a while."

"You sure?" Corvus asked as he gestured towards Claudia's face. "Because if I woke up looking like that I would just run towards the nearest living thing and kill it. In this case that would end up being you."

He knew it was a joke but there was truth behind the older boys' statement. Claudia looked like a horror right now. Her skin was pale, the veins in her face and arms were purple, she had purple bags under her eyes, and her hair seemed to have lost all its luster with that white streak falling over her face.

"You can go Corvus, Ill take care of them." He put a small damp towel on Claudia's head in an attempt to soothe her.

"You sure?"

"Yup." Callum gestured towards the door. "Go have fun or something, maybe get some rest. At least one of us should get a good night's sleep."

"As my Prince commands." Corvus turned and left the room leaving Callum alone.

Although in truth Callum knew he was never truly alone.

"How are you feeling dear apprentice?" Aaravos asked as the elf walked out of the backroom, his painted body holding several bottles filled with different colored liquids, he was also holding a small wooden bowl.

Callum shrugged. "I feel great but also terrible. We created a cure for the plague that will hopefully be mass-produced soon, but on the other hand two of my friends are bedridden." he looked at his teacher as the man set the medicine and bowls down on Claudia's bedside table. "You should leave that painted body, if one of them wakes up and sees you..."

"They won't wake up for a while." Aaravos waved his hand dismissively. "The bullheaded boy needs rest to repair the damage his sister did, and the crazy sorceress will be out for quite a while. Between the massive battle a week ago and her attempts to create a cure, and her latest stunt trying to fix her brother she had flooded her body with dark magic. She is lucky she isn't dead, I haven't seen such reckless use of dark magic since Ziard."

"Ziard?"

"One of my less gifted apprentices, he tried to pick up the pieces after Elarions fall. He was a master of dark magic but lacked the patience necessary to use primal magic." Aaravos shrugged. "After Elarion fell to the dragons the city she had created quickly fell to ruin as it passed from one incompetent leader to another. Then Sol Regem got involved and...well that's a story all its own."

"So who is Sol Regem? I think I've heard you mention him in passing before." Callum remembered his teacher often grumbled about the Dragons, with Sol Regems name coming up a few times.

"Sol Regem the first Dragon King." Aaravos practically spat the dragon's name out. "He was chosen for power alone, no other redeeming qualities, just a Sun Dragon who knew how to burn things, and the illustrious leaders of the elven people chose him as the first singular leader to rule over all of Xadia. Imbeciles..."

"Sounds like you knew him personally."

"Oh yes, he was arrogant to the core. He was also a coward, during his first attempt to destroy the city of Elarion he sent his minions to do his dirty work, all because he was afraid of facing Elarion herself in battle. It was only after his minions managed to overwhelm her with sheer numbers did he dare attempt to go near the city personally. Even then the fool was blinded by a fireball spell from Ziard, my least gifted apprentice. I like to think Sol Regem still lives, a decrepit old relic who lingers on drowning in his own failures. After he was blinded they had some Moon Dragon take his place, I think her name was Luna Tenebris or something? Dragons have such annoying names."

"You have led a long and interesting life." Callum looked over at the medicine on Claudia's bedside table and looked into the bowl his teacher had set down earlier and saw it was full of leeches. "Leeches? This isn't the dark age of humanity, we dont leech people to heal them unless its to help with blood flow."

"Take a closer look." Aaravos gestured towards the bowl.

Callum did as he was bid and looked closely at the leeches, he recognized them immediately from a bestiary book he read on Xadian wildlife. "Xadian life stealers?" He knew from his reading that they didn't suck blood at all but rather drained magical energy from other magical creatures. "What good will these do? They dont even-ow!" One of the leeches had latched onto his hand and he had to pull it off and set it in the bowl with the others. "I thought they didn't bite humans?"

"You have primal energy in you now, which makes you as delicious as any elf." Aaravos began to grab the leeches and gently placed them on varying parts of Claudia's exposed flesh. "They aren't picky, they will devour the dark magic saturating the crazy girl's body. We need to purge her body of the excess magic and these little guys will do just that. She is lucky that the Court Mage here had some in his lab, most likely the man used them to purge his body of dark magic in this very fashion."

"How long until she recovers?" He watched the leeches go to work as they greedily devoured the magic within Claudia's body, some of them were already getting fat and he watched as his teacher swapped the fat ones out for new ones. He laid a hand on her head, she was still both burning and freezing up but it seemed less intense somehow, perhaps the leeches were already working.

"You still care for her?" Aaravos asked, his tone showing his dissapointment. "She punches you, devours small animals with magic, and almost gets her brother killed and you still care for her. Have you forgiven her already?"

"Yes," Callum answered immediately. "I forgive her for punching me anyway, her devouring magical creatures with her dark magic...forgiveness isn't mine to give. All she did she did for her brother out of desperation. I know what it's like to want to protect a sibling. If Ezran had been infected with a plague...I like to think I wouldn't use dark magic but...I dont know." He looked up and saw in his teacher's eyes a look he had never seen before, it was contemplative but also sad. "But yes, I do forgive her. If anything I just feel bad that she got so desperate, if we had managed to create a cure sooner or if I managed to convince Claudia that dark magic wasn't the way then this all could have been avoided."

"Always forgiving and blaming yourself for others' shortcomings...by the stars you even sound like her."

"Sound like who?"

Aaravos shook his head. "Its nothing apprentice, just an old elf's memories."

"Okay, well I'll leave you to your secrets, just tell me how long until Claudia is healed?"

"Hard to say, time is the best healer." Aaravos set the bowl aside and let the leeches do their work. "The question now is what do we do about her?" He gestured towards Claudia.

Callum didn't understand. "What do you mean?"

"She knows about your ability to use primal magic without the use of a primal stone." Aaravos pointed out which made Callum wince, he had forgotten about that in all the chaos of the day. "Which means we must find a way to silence her or deal with the fallout of the world knowing that you are the first human in centuries to be able to use primal magic without a primal stone."

"Well." Callum struggled to figure out what he could do to make Claudia stay quiet about all this. "Maybe if I promised to teach her primal magic she would keep it a secret between us?"

Aaravos let out a laugh so sudden that Callum flinched away from his teacher, the Strartouch elf rarely laughed much less a loud one like this one.

"Hahaha hahaha, oh that was a good one." Aaravos was now merely chuckling as he looked at Callum. "Oh, wait...you were being serious?"

Callum nodded.

"In that case let me laugh even harder. HAHAHAA-" Aaravos once more began to laugh but Callum glared at his teacher until the elf stopped and composed himself. "This is why I like you, I've laughed more as a spirit these last five years then I did in the last century I was alive. You're so adorably naive, a part of me hopes you will stay that way. You are endless amounts of entertainment, my sweet naive young apprentice."

"I'm serious, you said I would one day take on apprentices, why not Claudia?"

"Aside from the fact that she's crazy? Let's see... she has no belief in boundaries, no self-control, is obsessed with power, and the fact that she recently attacked you, plus killed the animals you were keeping, and put all of Evenere at risk with her short-sighted actions. Also, she dresses like a witch that's about to make a pact with an elder demon. Also she-"

"-I'm aware of her problems!" Callum interjected, wanting to get a word in. "But maybe with some persuasion, I could open a door for her, teach her primal magic. The way you taught me."

"And you believe she would accept this? To be taught by someone two years her junior?"

"Maybe?" Callum wasn't so sure of himself, now that he was saying it out loud it did sound like a bad plan. "I dont know, girls are complicated, maybe she'll surprise us?"

"Females aren't complicated, they are extremely simple creatures. Its males who are hopeless fools."

"You just insulted yourself, you're a man...at least I hope so." Callum peered at his teacher closely, bringing his face up close to the Startouch elf's face. "I mean...you are right? Your voice is deep and creepy like a man so….no...yes...yeah you're definitely a male elf right?"

"Of course I'm a male elf! Also, my voice is not creepy..."

"It kind of is..." Callum rubbed the back of his head nervously as he let out a nervous chuckle. "Your voice is like...when my mom used to read me bedtime stories she would use this deep and growly voice to read the villains lines. Your normal speaking voice is my mom's growly villain voice. Has no one ever told this?"

"Never," Aaaravos growled, his yellow eyes shining with genuine anger. "People would gather from far and wide to listen to me speak. Entire crowds fell under the sway of my enchanting voice. Fair maidens both human and elf would throw themselves at my feet just to-"

"-Okay I get the point." Callum didn't want this to turn into one of his teacher's creepy stories. "Also they might have just been more interesting in what you were saying not how you were saying it. Your voice has this weird echo and it doesn't match your appearance at all. In fact, you sound a bit like that Leviathan that I met when I connected to the ocean arcanum, although in his case his appearance matched his voice."

"Tread carefully, you're making me genuinely angry now Callum." Callum winced at hearing his name, he noticed his teacher only ever used his real name when he was being dismissive or when he was angry. "If ridiculing my enchanting voice is an attempt to get me to agree with your imbecilic idea to teach Claudia primal magic then I must inform you that it's not working."

"What's your idea then?" Callum asked, not liking his plans being called imbecilic. "What does the greatest elven archmage suggest we do in this situation?" He asked giving his teacher an overly dramatic mock bow. " I defer to your illustrious judgment."

"As well, you should." The elf replied, ignoring the sarcasm. "Memory alteration isn't an option since you aren't skilled in such arts nor do I think you have the stomach for it, my sweet little moral apprentice," Aaravos stated, giving Callum a slightly condescending pat on the head. "We could just ignore her, no one would believe her. With your actions at the sunken temple along with this plague cure, you are a hero. Who will the people believe? You the hero or Claudia the Klutz? She will just end up looking like a stark raving lunatic." Aaravos shook his head. "No use worrying about it now, we will cross that bridge when we get to it, for now, we focus on the present."

"So we do nothing?" Callum looked at Claudia's sleeping form, the girl was no longer tossing and turning but she still looked terrible. He gently pulled off some of the leeches that had grown fat and replaced them with new ones, careful not to let the little creatures bite him. "What if she tells her father? Claudia has always shared everything with her father….I dont know what Lord Viren would do if he found out."

"Ah yes, she would tell her father, wouldn't she? Girls with daddy issues are always such a bother." Aaravos sounded more annoyed then worried. "The preening dark mage would make our lives difficult, but we dont have to see them for months perhaps even over a year. We still have three other kingdoms to visit after this one dont we?"

"I'm pretty sure my stepfather will order us back to Katolis after all this." Callum was both happy and unhappy about that arrangement. He would be happy to see Ezran again, it had been over eight months since he had last seen his younger brother and he missed him greatly. On the other hand, he wouldn't be able to learn primal magic for a while, perhaps not for years.

"Unacceptable," Aaravos stated as he began pacing around the room. "We need independence from your stepfather in order to continue your training."

"Lady Opeli serves him, not me." Callum pointed out, Opeli had made it quite clear in the few times he had seen her that they would be returning to Katolis after this plague ran its course. "Once the all-clear is sounded we have to get back on the _Sweet Sarai_ and head back to Katolis. My dad owns the ship so unless we want to be stranded here in Evenere we dont have much of a choice."

"We have enough money to buy passage for ourselves." Aaravos pointed out. "Although why buy passage when we could just get our own ship?"

"Ships are expensive, even if I spent most of the money I have we would at best get a mediocre one, not to mention we would need to hire a crew to sail it."

"You have just cured a plague ravaging this city, once it's all over Queen Fareeda will no doubt wish to reward you," Aaravos stated, his tone showing that he was pleased. "For saving her city and her life as well as the lives of her family she must grant you any boon you wish. You could ask for money, power, her own daughter's hand in marriage-"

"-Princess Meredith isn't interested in boys." Callum pointed out, he had spent some time with the princess during his stay. She had tried to teach him archery and as a result, he had almost killed her with a stray arrow. During the little time, he spent with her he had learned that she preferred the company of girls over the company of boys. "Also I'm a commoner, Queen Fareeda might like me but she would never let me marry her daughter."

"Nor would I wish for you to marry that brainless archery, obsessed girl." Aaravos scoffed as if the idea was ludicrous. "I have other plans for your future romantic affairs, it's become clear to me that human girls of this new world I have woken up in are either crazy or otherwise unacceptable so when I take you to Xadia we will-never mind that, we will deal with it in a few years when you're older. My point is that here we are in Evenere the human kingdom with the greatest navy and best shipbuilders in all the Pentarchy. Queen Fareeda can hardly refuse to grant you your own ship, with your own ship you will be free to sail wherever you want and return to Katolis when you are good and ready."

"What about a crew?"

"You have money for that."

"My stepdad won't like it..." Harrow was generally a kind man but the few times he had seen the man angry were not great memories. Callum knew that if he went off on his own after being ordered to return to katolis that King Harrow's rage would be something to behold.

"Fine, dont buy a ship." Aaravos threw his hands up in the air as if he had given up. "We can return to Katolis and you can spend your days eating Jelly tarts with your brother. You will return having accessed only one primal source and you get to have fun explaining your new gift in magic to both the preening dark mage and the King of Rooks. Have fun with that."

Callum realized what his teacher was trying to do, and it was working.

"Fine." Callum gave in. "I guess we're getting our own ship, which means I need to hire a captain and a crew." He thought about all the people he had met in his time in Evenere, he would rather hire people he knew and trusted then random people at a sailors bar. The only captain he knew personally was a certain one-eyed man who talked like a pirate.

"Well I know where we can get a captain, we just need to focus on hiring a skilled crew." Callum let out a long yawn, unable to contain it any longer. "Plus we will need to buy provisions and other stuff...so much to do..."

"When was the last time you ate or slept?" Aaravos asked, his tone growing softer. "You should get some rest, maybe go down to the dining hall and grab some food. You dont look much better then your sorceress friend here." he gestured towards Claudia's pale face.

"Fine..." Callum didn't have the energy to argue with his teacher. "I'll grab some food then maybe some rest. But come and tell me if Soren or Claudia's condition changes." He left the room and walked down the stairs until he reached the hallways of the palace. He walked towards the dining hall and heard music coming from it. As he entered the hall he saw it was dimly lit, at this hour the only people eating were soldiers with dozens of them eating before their shifts started.

Callum didn't want to draw attention so he walked in the shadows and took a seat near the back of the hall out of sight. A female servant came up and set a bowel of Evenerian seafood stew before him before quickly leaving to attend to her other duties. The stew was simple but most fares in the palace had been since the plague started. Queen Fareeda believed that times of crisis were no time for feasting and she chose to eat as humbly as her people that suffered outside the palace walls.

It was a notion and mentality that Callum agreed with wholeheartedly, although as he began to spoon up the stew he did wish he had some bread to go with it. Instead, he tried to find something other then his desire for bread to focus on, he listened to the soldiers as the male and female protectors of Evenere spoke and gossiped at their tables.

"The first thing I'm doing after this quarantine is lifted is getting a steak. A man cant live on seafood alone." One soldier muttered as he spooned up his stew.

"Or woman." a female companion of his muttered as she looked down at her own stew. "I love fish like any good Evenerian gal but I haven't eaten any red meat in months."

"Yeah." Another guard muttered. "Still things are looking up, we should gather for whiskey and cigars tonight to celebrate the cure being found."

"Sounds like a good idea." Someone else at the end of the table said. "There's a lot to celebrate, heck I got my own squad after my performance at the _Battle of Blood Bay_. I cut down a dozen of those zombies."

"Well, we would have all been dead if it wasn't for that Leviathan the Prince of Katolis summoned."

"I heard he turned into that creature, used dark magic to shapeshift into a Kraken."

"No way!"

Callum closed his ears to the conversation. Rumors had been flowing around the palace and city about the battle. Most people couldn't understand what he had done, heck the average person didn't understand the difference between dark magic and primal magic. As a result, the stories had spread and the tale of his exploits grew stranger with every telling. He was watching history and facts warp as they passed from the lips of one person to the ears of another. Each telling was imperfectly formed, half understood, poorly remembered, twisted and bent like soft metal. The only people who knew the truth was himself and his teacher. No one else understood what he had done that night. he shuddered to think about what the story of his exploits would be like in a few months.

Not wanting to think about what others were saying about him he decided to focus on the music in the hall. Near the dais, there was a musician playing a large harp. The musician's body was covered in blue clothes with the musician wearing a blue cloak that covered their head and body. Despite the outfit, Callum could tell the musician was female, her clothes were high quality but simple, the only ornamentation was a simple moonstone brooch that pinned the blue cloak to her body.

As if sensing his gaze she turned to him, her face was obscured by shadows but he saw that she was smiling at him. He couldn't see her eyes but he could feel her gaze piercing him as if she was seeing through him. Before he could do or say anything she began to play a new song, the new notes filled the hall with sweet music and the woman began to sing.

_"Beware, beware the Prince of the Sea."_

_"Beware," I heard them cry._

_Their words carried upon the ocean breeze,_

_As they sank beneath the tide._

_Upon those blood-soaked shores of Evenere_

_Where soldiers fought and died._

_Our enemies fell at Evenere_

_Because the Leviathan did arise_

_The Prince sailed across the ocean deep_

_What else but sail to all our lives_

_And put an end to the Bite_

_But there he found upon those drowned shores,_

_Enemies on the rise!_

_And when the Prince faced those savage foes_

_The Leviathan did arise!_

_As they were buried deep beneath the waves,_

_Devoured by the sea_

_To our nation, with their last breath, cried,_

_"Beware the Prince of the Sea!"_

_I heard, I heard, across a moonlit sea,_

_Their voices warning me,_

_"Beware, beware the Prince of the Sea,"_

_"Beware, beware…_

"Beware...of me." Callum finished, as he pushed away his half-finished stew, his appetite now gone. He got up and left the table as he strode towards his just wanted to get the hell out of this city and leave all that had happened behind him. The plague, The battle, his possibly ruined friendships with Claudia and Soren, he just wanted all of his problems to go away.

"Why does magic make life so complicated?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That stupid end song won't format right on this website, that's why it reads so janky without the sections being broken up correctly. Sorry folks, I tried everything...well maybe not everything, but after five minutes I got bored of trying so I'm giving up.
> 
> Alright, so Aaravos...I created Elarion as a character to make him more human...or elfish, whatever you want to call it. Elarion made him a different person, which could be used to explain why he is so different then his show counterpart, in this universe, Elarion was a person that had an effect on him. His relationship with Elarion is kind of vague on purpose, more will be revealed in time, he has reasons for hiding his exact involvement with her and the city she created. Focusing on her rather then his role in things, his story might have seemed detailed but there was a lot more to it then what he revealed. He will never lie but if you've noticed I make Aaravos answer almost every question as vaguely as possible with words that have numerous meanings. Compare what he said to what the Leviathan said a few chapters ago and you will see what I mean.
> 
> So in the show, I personally disliked Claudia's arc at the end of season 2. I dont think she should have been rewarded for using dark magic to cure Soren. I know the creators probably have a great arc planned for her in season 3 that continues the one from season 2 but season 2 is all I have to work with right now.
> 
> She took the shortcut and used dark magic to heal Soren. I think it should have failed in the show, showing her that dark magic cant do everything and sometimes there are no shortcuts. Or maybe it only partially healed Soren allowing him to have use of his upper body but his lower body still being disabled. I think Soren being disabled would have made him a slightly more interesting character, without his fighting ability he would have to explore who he is as a person. Kind of like Jaime Lannister in A Song of ice and fire losing his sword hand, forcing him to evolve as a person since he could no longer fight his way out of every problem. I thought Soren's best character moment in the show was him being happy that he was disabled because he wasn't able to harm Callum and Ezran.
> 
> But I'm not the creators so, for now, I bow to their wisdom and trust their plans. They do have seven seasons already planned out so I have no real right to doubt them.
> 
> That's it. Please review, leave comments, kudos, bookmarks. I use the same author's notes for FF net and Archive because I am lazy.
> 
> The next chapter might take a while. I work six days next week so...yeah, I'm not going to have much time to sleep much less write.


	12. Chapter 12

Claudia was laying in her bed with her back propped up against numerous pillows. It was late morning, perhaps even noon and the room she was resting in was filled with light from the sun. She was resting in the maiden's tower, after flooding her body with dark magic she had been bedridden for a week, perhaps even longer, it was hard to keep track of time when you were as sick as she was.

Her father had constantly warned her about the dangers of overusing dark magic in a short span of time, advice she knew he didn't always follow. Whenever she pointed out his hypocrisy he would simply respond _'Do as I say not as I do.'_ She both loved and hated him whenever he said stuff like that.

The door to her room opened and Callums familiar figure walked in, he was holding a tray with medicine and what appeared to be some food. With most doctors and healers in the city distributing the plague cure and treating the ill it had fallen to Callum and Soren to help as she recuperated.

After she had woken up from her slumber she had felt terrible, with the first good night's sleep in ages her mind was clear and sharp. Sadly her clear and sharp mind allowed her to realize what she had done. She had put her friendship with Callum at risk by punching him, and her brother's life at risk by trying to treat him while she was in no state of mind to be treating anyone. Apologizing to Soren had been easy, her brother had hugged her when she first waked up and speaking to him had been simple as were most things involving her sibling. Callum on the other hand…

"How are you feeling today Claudia?" Callum asked as he went to set down the tray on her bedside table only to find it was covered in books. Claudia cleared the nightstand so that he could set the tray down.

"Im...great." Why did this have to be so awkward? Callum hadn't even mentioned the incident or anything related to it. It was as if it had never happened. He was acting like they were back in Katolis eating jelly tarts in the courtyard of the castle.

Somehow that made her feel worse and even more nervous. She wanted him to be angry or upset, this acting like nothing had happened was driving her crazy.

"That's good," Callum said, gesturing to the tray. "Got something special today, relief ships are coming in now that a cure has been found. They won't be able to leave until the plague is gone completely but for now they can deliver supplies en masse. The cooks managed to get enough food to make us something awesome."

Claudia looked at the tray and saw what he was so excited about. "Its...a pie?" She muttered while looking at a small pie lying in the center of the tray, its golden crust cooked to perfection. It was a nice change from the non-stop seafood they had eaten for almost ane entire year.

"Not just a pie." Callum smiled happily. "Its traditional Katolian chicken pot pie, the best type of food there is."

"Uhh yeah..." It was a nice treat, although Callum's enthusiasm for it seemed like a bit much. "Just like mother used to make back home..."

"Maybe your mother..." Callum grimaced. "I once found a beak in one of the chicken pot pies my mother made, although that was better then the time I found a horseshoe in her beef stew. Conveniently it was right after she said that she took our horse to the horse retirement ranch. It was years before I put two and two together. It haunts me to think I ate old _Sweetfoot,_ then again she was old and we were poor back then...mom had to feed us somehow."

"That's cute and ghastly." Claudia couldn't help but chuckle a little at the story. "It's hard to imagine your mother being terrible at anything, I only knew her for a few years but she always seemed so...perfect." Despite being born a commoner Queen Sarai had been everything a Queen should be and more. She was courteous, polite, kind, generous, but also strong, wise, and diplomatic. Not to mention an amazing warrior and battlefield commander.

"Cooking, gardening, and sewing were the three things she was terrible at," Callum said, wistfully a sad smile gracing his face. "Although she did get better at sewing once the castle seamstress showed her how to do it." She saw Callum tighten the red scarf around his neck affectionately.

An awkward silence hung in the air for several seconds with each second feeling like an eternity for Claudia. She chided herself for hesitating, she had never let fear stop her from anything before, much less something as simple as an apology. She decided to dive in, after all, people often said that fortune favored the bold.

"Callum I'm sorry I punched you and drained the life from your test animals...and for calling you a lying little prince..." She said with as apologetic a tone as she could muster. She closed her eyes, expecting an angry retort from the prince.

"Apology accepted," Callum replied casually with all the gravity of someone talking about the weather. "Now eat your pot pie before it gets cold. Because if you dont want it I'll eat it, I've already eaten two this morning but I could easily tackle another."

Callum's reaction was not what she was expecting, while she was happy he wasn't being a jerk about the situation his complete nonchalant response was somewhat annoying. "That's it? Callum, I punched you! I ruined your experiments, and I insulted you!"

Callum shrugged. "Yeah you punched me but what's a little punching between friends? Your brother once broke one of my fingers in a sparring match when we were kids and I never held it against him. The animals you killed...I probably would have done the same thing, my personal feelings on dark magic aside. There's nothing I wouldn't do to protect my brother, I imagine it's the same for you."

It was true, there was nothing she wouldn't do for Soren, and knowing Callum he would do anything to protect Ezran. "Still...I failed in the end. I did everything that father would have done but I just...couldnt do it. I made things worse." She had read every book on the subject over and over, she still couldn't figure out why she failed. "Infusing Soren with primal energy from plague resistant creatures should have healed him but...It made it worse."

"Almost as if the plague was designed to get worst if dark magic was used to try and heal it," Callum replied, his tone implying that he knew something.

"Designed?" Claudia asked, that word implying that the plague wasn't natural. "What are you implying?"

"The plague came from a ship, a ship that had been poaching creatures from Xadia. Yet as the ship returned here to Evenere it unleashed a plague that ravaged the city, a plague that was resistant to all attempts to cure it with dark magic."

Claudia realized what Callum was implying. "So you're saying the elves put the rats on the ship knowing it would spread the disease to us? That's...barbaric!" She knew that there was no love between humanity and the elves but something like this seemed unusually cruel. Suddenly things were adding up. "Elves knew that we would use dark magic to try and heal people and cure the plague, so they made sure it was a plague that was resistant to dark magic..." And she had pumped her brother full of primal energy fueled by dark magic, making his condition worse. It all made sense as if the pieces of the puzzle all fell into her lap. "Why would they do this?"

"Retaliation for poaching magical creatures, no doubt they viewed it as justice."

"Justice?" Claudia would use many words to describe such an act but justice wasn't one of them. "Does the Queen know about this? We have to tell her so-"

"-So what? Callum turned to her. "We have no definitive proof that my theory is even true, even if the Queen believed it what should she do? Go to war with Xadia? Retaliate in an equally terrible way? Enough people have died already Claudia, the last thing Evenere needs is more death. Just let it go."

She didn't want to but she also saw the truth in Callum's words. There had already been so much death and without any real proof, there was nothing they could do regardless. "So that's the answer? We just ignore an attack on us from a foreign power?"

"Its Evenere's problem, not ours. We did our part in curing this plague, that's enough."

"You mean you cured it." Claudia sighed in exhaustion. "I did everything my dad would have done and it only made things worst."

"Claudia the entire College of Enchanters failed to find a cure, the deck was stacked against them and you from the start due to the nature of this plague. Even your dad wouldn't have been able to do anything, and maybe that's your problem right there." Callum pointed out. "You need to stop trying to be your dad and be yourself. Look at things from a different perspective, try new things, don't just copy your father."

"You might be right but I'm not giving up dark magic." Claudia felt she knew what Callum was trying to do here. The boy was always far too obvious with his intentions. "But these events have made me realize that maybe I do need to expand my mind and look at things from new perspectives." She gestured to several of the books that surrounded her. "I actually borrowed these from the College, all books on natural philosophy and the natural sciences. Might try to take up alchemy myself, maybe give it my own dark magic twist to the art."

"Well, that's something..." Callum replied, in an obviously forced polite tone.

Claudia had to resist rolling her eyes, she got the feeling that Callum would be stubborn about dark magic until the end of time. She set aside her feelings on that to address the elephant in the room, an elephant that had been lingering in the back of her mind since the night of the battle. "So….how long have you been able to do primal magic without a primal stone? Are...you aren't an elf but maybe...was your father an elf? Come to think of it who was your birth father?"

"Who my father was isn't important right now, and no I'm not an elf," Callum replied defensively. "I just connected to the ocean arcanum after meditating and having a spiritual revelation...also I kind of drowned."

"You drowned?" Claudia didn't understand any of what the boy had just said. "Callum you're going to have to do better then that. I dont see why you've been keeping this a secret, its a revolution in magic. Not being able to use primal magic is one of humanity's greatest weaknesses. You would be famous, rich, you could train others and start a whole new branch of the College of Enchanters."

"It's not that simple Claudia." Callum sighed sadly. "I almost died connecting to the ocean arcanum, so I'm hardly qualified to teach anyone about it."

If that was true the boy had a point, revealing dangerous practices to the world wasn't a wise thing to do. "Maybe not now but someday you could." So many thoughts raced through her mind now that she allowed herself to focus on Callum's new ability, without her brother and the plague being at the forefront of her mind anymore she could focus on this new revelation. "There have always been rumors and legends about humans being able to tap into primal energy but most have long been discredited. This means that we have to relook at all the ancient historical documents. Not to mention even recent events."

"What do you mean recent events? Are you saying there are others like me?"

"Maybe..." Claudia thought about all the rumors she had heard. "There are always stories about hedge witches and hedge wizards who spend their life out in the wilds. Most simply know a bit of herb-craft and midwifery, often helping small remote villages with minor sicknesses and delivering children. Yet there are always stories about some of them learning how to bond with nature and being able to use primal magic. Most are complete fiction, my father took me to investigate one such story. It was just an old hermit who had lived in the woods for thirty years, he claimed he could connect to nature the way elves do but it turns out all he did was ingest mushrooms and smoke a pipe filled with smoke leaf. He was a fraud but maybe there are real primal mages out there. If you could connect to the primal sources I wonder if there are others..."

"Well that's interesting," Callum responded thoughtfully. "Maybe there are others like me, hiding out in the wilds. But for now, I would prefer it if most people continued to believe that connecting to the primal sources is impossible. I dont want fame, being a step prince was enough pressure."

Claudia considered his words and found herself understanding Callums feelings. The Prince had always shied away from other people's attention, often hiding away during feasts and other social events that required his attendance. Yet what he had discovered had far-reaching implications, the only reason she hadn't run off to tell everyone was that she respected Callum and owed him her confidence. "I understand...but Callum this is a revolution, you cant just hide it away forever..."

"I promise I won't," Callum replied softly. "This is new territory for me as well. Once I master using primal magic and find a way for other people to use it without almost dying then I will share it. Until then can you promise to keep it a secret?"

"Of course." She was a woman of her word, she had kept her father's secrets for years so keeping Callum's confidence would be easy enough. "I won't tell anyone, not even my dad."

Callum was visibly relieved. "Thank goodness, I really dont want the attention. Being the center of attention always makes me nervous."

Claudia couldn't help but chuckle, her friend had always hated being the center of attention. It was an endearing trait, especially compared to many noble-born boys of similar age who were attention seeking jerks. "You might not have a choice in that, people are already speaking your name. In fact, I heard a song being sung a few nights ago that seemed to be about you."

She watched with amusement as Callum shivered, the boy cringed internally. "I never asked for any of this. My life wasn't so complicated until I started to learn magic, but what other choice did I have?"

"Choice?" Claudia asked, not sure what Callum was talking about, he was making it sound like he was forced into learning magic. "Why would you feel like you had to learn magic?"

Callum seemed to grow uncomfortable and she could tell he was struggling to find the right words.

"I wanted to protect Ezran." Callum finally admitted, his voice growing more confident. "It was shortly after my mother died that I realized that a crown is basically a death sentence. I looked into the history of Katolis and only three monarchs of royal blood have died of natural causes. All the others have died in wars, assassinations, and one even got eaten by a giant weasel. I already lost my mother and I refuse to lose Ezran. He's my little brother and it's my job as his big brother to protect him. I'm not a warrior and my archery skills are terrible, so magic was my only real option."

Claudia could understand Callums feeling, her own brother was always getting into trouble and she often worried about him going out and fighting in a war. "Well, you're really good at magic, a natural. I know you won't but if you chose to add dark magic to your repertoire then you could be the greatest mage of the modern age."

"Not interested in either dark magic or being the greatest mage," Callum replied instantly. "If it wasn't for dark magic my mother would still be around."

Claudia had to resist sighing, this was a sensitive topic and she would have to tread carefully. "Callum, what happened to your mother was tragic, all of Katolis mourned for her. But it wasn't dark magic that killed her, it was Thunder."

Her answer didn't seem to satisfy the prince at all. "The only reason she was in Xadia was to hunt a magma titan to use its heart in a dark magic ritual. Crossing the border, inflaming already bad hostilities, killing a creature with a decent degree of sentience, all of those events led to my mother's death so that we could perform a dark magic ritual."

"That ritual was the only hope for both Katolis and Duren." Claudia pointed out, hoping that facts would win over emotion. "Over a hundred thousand people's lives were at stake, a hundred thousand people, who would have starved to death. Not to mention the countless others who would have died as well from other things. Crime would have increased, people killing each other over food, people dying of sickness, not to mention the fact that the other three kingdoms require shipments of food from both Duren and Katolis. Our two kingdoms are the only ones with large swathes of agricultural land. So many lives at risk, the ritual was the only way."

"The ritual did work and all it cost us was the lives of three Queens and increased tensions with Xadia. One of those Queens my mother." Callum put forward. "I dont have enough family to keep paying that sort of price every time there's a crisis. Not to mention all these poaching magical creatures will end up costing us in the end, look at what happened here. The only reason this plague happened was because of humans poaching magical creatures from Xadia."

"Those are two totally different scenarios," Claudia said, not wanting to get wrapped up in an argument. "We needed the magma titans heart to save numerous lives, the poachers were just looking to turn a quick profit. Even so, that didn't give the elves the right to send a plague to Evenere in retaliation for poaching a few animals."

"You might be right but shows that its a cycle." Callum pointed out. "We poach creatures from Xadia to fuel dark magic, tensions increase, there's a skirmish at the border and sometimes outright battles and wars break out. If we keep poaching creatures from Xadia to fuel dark magic for our benefit then we will end up fighting the same battles forever and we will keep losing people like my mother if we stay down this path. We need to find another way forward, a way for us to survive without dark magic."

"What other way would you suggest?" Claudia asked curiously. "How would you have solved the hunger crisis for Katolis and Duren? What was the alternative?"

"I dont know," Callum admitted, a look of defeat appearing momentarily in his eyes. "But what I do know is that if we dont find another path forward then we will doom ourselves. We have to change, otherwise, history will just keep repeating itself and we will spend the rest of our lives fighting the same battles, as will our children and their children. Dark magic has been the answer for every single crisis humanity has faced and as a result, we keep having to fight the same wars with Xadia and sacrificing the lives of our people."

"Sometimes we have to sacrifice in order to survive." Claudia admired Callum's idealism but it wasn't realistic. "That's why it falls to men like King Harrow and my father to make those decisions. When people are suffering and praying for a miracle what they are really praying for men like King Harrow and my father make the hard choices that would break a normal person. They are praying that women like the Queens of Duren and your mother will make the sacrifices that a normal person would never be able to. I know that you want to protect Ezran but someday he will be king and he will have to make those types of decisions, you cant protect him from that."

"I will." Callum declared seriously, his green eyes showing steely determination. "I'll find a way to make sure he never has to make such a terrible decision, Ill find an alternative, and if I cant then I will make the sacrifice myself so that he never has to."

"That's a noble Callum, just like your mother and the Queens of Duren who died so that hundreds of thousands could live. Sacrifice is never easy Callum if it was then it wouldn't be a true sacrifice. What is the life of a magma titan and three Queens against the fate of entire Kingdoms?"

"Everything," Callum said softly. "If we have to sacrifice our best people to save a kingdom what kind of a kingdom are we even saving? Did we really save Katolis and Duren? Or did we simply plant the seeds for future conflicts? How many more people down the line will have to pay the price for our actions? Extreme means have unforeseen consequences. Duren has been in chaos since the deaths of their Queens, rebellion, assassination attempts on crown princess Aanya, a Lord Regent almost creating civil war when he tried to seize power. How long until we suffer the consequences of our actions?"

"Now you're talking about what might happen in the future." Claudia didn't want to argue theoretical scenarios with Callum. "I cant see into the future, I'm not a witch."

"Then why do you dress like one?"

"Wow, a real original jab there, you really got me good with that one," Claudia replied nonchalantly choosing to not rise to the bait and stayed on-topic. "Callum I admire your idealistic beliefs, but….what other paths forward do you see? I'm willing to admit that your application of the natural sciences in alchemy saved this city when dark magic couldn't. But can you save us from famine? Natural disasters? Other forms of sickness? Dark magic is the only way humanity can survive."

"I think you underestimate humanity," Callum responded seriously. "And maybe the reason you believe that is because no one bothered looking for another solution, instead they turned to dark magic, the easy way out."

Claudia was getting tired of this, they were talking in circles. "Callum, sometimes there is no winning scenario. Some times all you can do is take the path of least sacrifice."

"I dont believe in the no-win scenario," Callum responded, his voice becoming stronger and more confident. "I'll find a way for humanity to flourish without dark magic, if the elves can manage it then I dont see why we cant."

Claudia felt a smile grace her face. "I hope you can prove me wrong." She answered sincerely. "But be careful, Idealism is beautiful but unrealistic. You cant save everyone without sacrificing something, dark magic minimizes the sacrifice."

"More like it sacrifices others, it devours the essence of living creatures," Callum replied sadly. "Another reason I hate the art of dark magic. It destroys the magical creatures that make magic so special, how many species have been driven to extinction because of our use of dark magic? How many more will go extinct in the years to come? How long until we drain every creature on our side of the continent and have to engage in total war with Xadia to steal their creatures? All paths with dark magic lead to inevitable conflict."

"I think we have to agree to disagree." Claudia put forward, not wanting this debate to go on any longer. "We won't be solving world problems by talking about them in my bedroom."

Callum seemed to realize she was right and rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "Right, sorry Claudia. I didn't mean for this to turn into a debate or anything, I just wanted to bring you some food and talk. I guess things got sort of intense." His tone was light and the atmosphere in the room seemed to grow light as well which Claudia was thankful for as it seemed as if it was easier to breathe.

"It's fine, what's a little debate between friends right?" Claudia said, allowing her tone to become lighter to match Callum. "If anything we should do this more often. Two opposing viewpoints working together, forcing each other to look at a situation from different angles. If it had been the two of us working together maybe we could have found a cure for this plague faster. Heck, when we're older and advising Prince Ezran we could make sure that no one has to make a sacrifice like the one your mother made. Maybe between the two of us, we can find that other path forward."

Callum smiled at her words. "Now looks whos become an idealist." He joked which made them both chuckle.

"Well, I guess your idealism is rubbing off on me a bit, hopefully, it goes both ways and some of my realism manages to sink into you as well." She joked, happy that they could still joke around. "You did discover how to use primal magic, something that was deemed impossible. So I would be a fool to completely doubt you or bet against you." She got up off the bed, stretching as she did so to wake up her sleeping muscles.

"You should eat." Callum pointed towards the tray of food. "Youll need your strength."

Claudia had always found Callums concern for others an endearing trait, back when he was shorter then her she would sometimes ruffle his hair, but he had grown so much in the last year that ruffling his hair was both difficult due to his new height and a bit awkward. So she settled for giving him a light hug, which surprised the boy when she closed the distance between them. "Oh Callum, you're so sweet, you're like the sweet little brother I never got to have because my parents got separated. You're the perfect counterbalance to Soren's annoying big brother tendencies." She had always wanted a little brother to hang around with and spoil. She knew her father would never remarry so Callum would be the closest thing to a little brother she would ever get. Ezran could also count but he was royal blood and she didn't want to be seen getting too familiar with him, especially if those betrothal rumors turned out to be true.

"Yeah..." Callum replied while returning the hug, he felt stiff, no doubt he was overcome with emotion like she was.

After a few seconds, they separated and Claudia turned towards the tray she had brought him."I guess we should-" Claudia never got to finish her thought because the door to the room swung open and the wood and metal door slammed into the wall with such force it shook the room and caused several items around the room to fall off their shelves.

"It's me Clauds!" Her brother's voice sounded out as her brother charged into the room although at first, she couldn't tell if it really was her brother because the figure was fully armored in the most expensive-looking plate mail armor she had ever seen. It was Del Barian steel, the best metal humanity could produce, it was dark grey with ripples in it that looked like waves. The armor was clearly custom made and fit her brother's strong frame perfectly, with matching chainmail beneath the plate armor and a sturdy great helm covered his face, her brothers only visible features were his eyes shining behind the thin eyeslit.

"Where did you get that armor?' Numerous scenarios ran through her head as she imagined what her brother might have done to get the gold for such expensive gear. "I swear if you used the money that dad gave us to buy that Ill-"

"-I bought it for him," Callum spoke up. "He wouldn't shut up about it, and I figured he deserved it for his performance during the battle. He did protect me from those blood thralls and saved your life a few times."

Claudia couldn't dispute that her brother had performed admirably throughout that battle. "Still though, he's going to outgrow that soon enough. Also, it's his duty to protect you on this journey. If anything you should have knighted him."

She watched as Callum's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates. "Wait….I can knight people?" The Prince asked, his voice filled with wonder.

"uh...yeah..." Claudia muttered, amazed that Callum wouldn't know something so obvious. "You're a prince, those with royal titles are allowed to knight anyone they feel is worthy."

"In that case I knight you," Callum said pointing at Claudia. "I also knight Soren, and myself...also Corvus...and the guy who makes those really good pies down in the kitchens…also-"

"Dont just go around Knighting everyone!" She declared, amazed at how Callum could go from sounding so mature and wise to acting like a complete child like her brother. "There's a ritual, you need to have them swear vows and put a sword on their shoulder. You cant just knight someone instantly."

"Enough about knighting, although I totally deserve to be one," Soren said, pushing his way into the conversation. "Instead focus on how amazing I look in this armor." He struck a heroic pose, the armor shining as the light from the windows hit it. "Callum also bought me this, its made of the same metal this armors made of. It's so sharp it can cut a piece of silk thrown in the air." He hefted the battleax in his hands that had been stored in a back sheath. "Pretty sweet right? This with my bastard sword makes me unstoppable...also Callum bought me a bastard sword made out of Del Barian steel. Want to see it?"

Sweet wasn't the word she would use to describe it, and she most certainly didn't want to spend her day watching her brother show off his new toys. "Whatever." She said, hoping to talk about something other than weapons and armor.

"Come on Claud's why cant you be excited for me?" Soren asked. "You've been such a Debbie-downer lately."

"Maybe its because we are still stuck in a city that's recovering from a terrible magical plague." She grumbled. "Also my hair looks like a bird shat in it." She flicked away the long strands of white hair that now often fell into her eyes, a constant reminder of her recklessness and failure.

Soren waved her concerns away. "You look fine, heck that white streak in your hair looks kind of badass. You've always dressed like a witch so this bit of white hair is a natural complement to that." Soren offered in what was supposed to be a compliment but was more backhanded then any compliment she had received in her living memory.

"It does add character..." Callum offered, trying to soften the blow and failing miserably so instead he offered her a smile. "Also Soren agrees with me. I told you, you've been dressing like a witch since we were kids."

Claudias frown deepened, more out of anger then sadness. "I dont dress like a witch..." She glared at Callum and Soren. "You two are just ganging up on me..."

"Uhhhhh….yeah you do dress like a witch." Soren pointed out. "During Hallows Eve whenever we would go trick or treating you would just put on a black pointy hat and go out in your regular clothes. You've gone as a witch every year since you were a toddler."

"Says the guy who dresses up as a knight every Hallows eve!" Claudia pointed out defensively. "If you're trying to cheer me up you are failing miserably." She turned towards Callum. "And dont you start either, you always do a group costume with your brother and your Aunt Amaya leaving me and Soren as the odd ones out."

"Well, you never want to join our group costume fun so that's on you." Callum raised up his hands in defeat. "I'm going to take my leave before things get ugly, have fun looking at what he's done to himself." Callum turned around and headed out the door. "And be sure to eat that pot pie!"

Claudia had no idea what Callum as talking about. What had Soren done to himself and why would she be angry about it?

"Have you not been eating?" Soren asked, his big brother instincts rising up. "You should eat Clauds, you're still in recovery."

"I'm fine..."

"You sure?" Soren asked, still uncertain. "Are you cold? Hungry? Do you want a hotdog? I could get you a hotdog from the kitchens."

Claudia was sick of being treated like a delicate flower, she was mostly healed from her ordeal and was perfectly capable of taking care of herself. "No Soren, I'm not cold, I'm not hungry, I don't want a hotdog, and I swear if I find ketchup in my sheets again..."

"That happened once." Soren declared defensively. "I just wanted to know what it would be like to eat a pig in a blanket while in a blanket and your bed was the closest one."

"Whatever," Claudia muttered, not wanting to remember the time she jumped into her bed for a good night's sleep only to find herself covered in ketchup and mustard. "So what's this thing Callum claims Ill be upset about? What have you done to yourself?"

"Its nothing bad, in fact, it's awesome. I guarantee I can make you smile." Soren began removing the armor from his right arm so that his flesh became exposed.

Claudia rolled her eyes. "Whatever you're planning I guarantee that-WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!" Claudia screamed in horror as she looked at her brother's arm and saw there was a new addition to it.

It was a tattoo

Specifically, it was a tattoo of a bull on his right bicep. It was beautifully detailed in black ink and seemed professionally done. "Why would you get a tattoo of all things?" She demanded, not understanding why her brother would ink himself. In Katolis tattoos were usually associated with sailors and criminals. A nobleman's son getting one was scandalous.

"In Evenere, it's traditional that soldiers and sailors get inked after a victorious battle." Soren declared happily. "That's why so many of the guards around here have them, isn't it sweet? Jack did it, Lizzie's mute brother. Apparently he learned how to do it in prison. After kicking so much ass in that battle and surviving the plague I figured inking myself would be a nice way to celebrate. I'm built like an ox, no monster or disease will ever bring me down!"

Claudia could only gaze at the bull in horror. "Why a bull of all things?"

"People are always calling me bullheaded, the figure might as well embrace it." Soren declared proudly. "Plus during the battle of Blood Bay, I charged through tons of those zombies like a bull."

"This is bad..." It was Soren's duty as the sole male heir to their father to carry on the family name, which meant he would be expected to marry a girl of noble birth. Something like a tattoo might make some people turn up their noses at him due to the stigma they held in Katolis. "I still dont see how a tattoo is supposed to make me smile much less laugh. When dad finds out what you did..."

"I'm not afraid of dad," Soren said unconvincingly. "Also it's not the tattoo that will make you laugh, its what it can do. Watch I can make it dance." He began to flex his arm and sure enough, the bull started dancing.

Claudia couldn't help it, she started to laugh. It was the single most ridiculous thing her brother had ever done.

"That's the laugh and the smile that I've been wanting to see," Soren said happily, allowing a smile tog race his face. "You need to cheer up, mopey Claudia is so much lamer then regular Claudia."

"Well mopey Claudia is gone and you won't have to see her for a while." Claudia allowed herself to breathe after her bout of laughter. "Callum accepted my apology, we're still friends. If anything I'm angry he accepted the apology so quickly. I had this whole heartfelt speech planned and he just replied with an 'Apology accepted'. You think he would at least be angry that I punched him…."

"What's a few punches between friends?" Soren asked as he gazed out the window. "That little prince is full of surprises. I thought we would be going back to Katolis but it looks like we might end up seeing mom after all."

Claudia didn't understand, their mother was living in Del Bar and Opeli was intent on sailing back to Katolis after this. "What are you talking about? We are going back to Katolis after this unless mom is meeting us at home..." The idea of seeing her mother back in Katolis would be strange, the worst part would be keeping her and father from fighting. Claudia could still remember the fights her parents had when she was a child. Her mother had a Del Barian temper and would yell and smash things while her father would maintain his composure and choose to instead insult her using his sharp wit.

"Callum got his own ship, or rather the Queen is making a ship for him," Soren replied happily. "The Queen asked what kind of boon she could grant Callum for saving the city. I thought he was going to ask for money or something but instead he was all like _'Evenere is renowned for making the best ships so I want a ship of my own.'_ So she is making him a ship."

Claudia did understand, why would Callum want to continue traveling? She knew the prince missed his brother, ever since Ezran had been born the two were practically inseparable. Yet now Callum was going against his own stepfather's wishes and sailing to another Kingdom? "Surly Opeli wouldn't allow that right?" She asked, trying to fit all the pieces together. "She's under orders to bring Callum back, her loyalty is to the King first."

"Yeah, she said the same thing," Soren replied, growing slightly uncomfortable. "She even threatened to have him dragged back onto the _Sweet Sarai_ if he refused."

"What did Callum do?" Claudia was getting a little angry that Callum hadn't mentioned any of this when he was here. Instead, all he did was talk about chicken pot pie and get into a debate with her. That boy needed to learn how to prioritize the important things in life.

"He said she was welcome to try." Soren shook his head. "That's when things got ugly. Turns out Callum already hired a captain for the ship that's being made, he hired Villads and Villads gathered together a pretty tough crew. They already outnumber the men Opeli brought for the journey here. There is no taking Callum by force without things getting ugly."

Claudia almost couldn't believe what she was hearing. "And Queen Fareeda is allowing this?"

"Queen Fareeda claims that it's a Katolian issue and she wouldn't intervene in a foreign Kingdoms affairs. I dont think she wants to anger King Harrow or do anything against Callum since he did help save the city." Soren shrugged. "Doesn't matter much to me, I was ordered to be Callums sworn shield so I go where he goes and he happens to be going to Del Bar which suits me just fine. You are coming with us right?"

"If he'll let me join you guys I guess I will..." Claudia didn't want to go to Del Bar, she wanted to go home. She wanted to see her father, sleep in her own room, and eat food that's actually been cooked properly. Not go to a place that was known for its snow, mead, brawls, and general lack of civilization. She had even heard rumors that Del Barian women had beards. A rumor she knew was false since her mother was Del Barian and never had a beard but Claudia still couldn't help but inspect her upper lip in the mirror every morning to make sure she wasn't growing hair there.

"There will be plenty of room, Queen Fareeda claims that the ship she will be making for Callum will be the finest Evenere can produce. This place does make the best ships so that must mean it will be a nice one."

"Yeah..." Claudia agreed, sitting down back onto her bed. All this news was making her tired, the energy she had felt when she got out of bed seemed to vanish now that she knew that her journey across the kingdoms would be continuing whether she liked it or not.

* * *

Callum was trying to focus on reading a good book, his conversation with Claudia had gotten a little more intense then he had hoped so all he wanted to do now was relax and decompress with some peace and quiet.

Sadly his teacher had other plans.

"My favorite part was where she said you were like the little brother she never had and hugged you." The Startouch elf began to laugh, he was so loud that Callum was thankful only he could hear the elf because otherwise, he was pretty sure everyone in the palace would hear the laughter. "I wish you could have seen your face, I was able to pinpoint the exact moment that you realized that you had no chance with her."

Callum threw the book he had been reading at the elf but all it did was phase through the incorporeal spirit.

Aaravos's laughing continued as if nothing had happened. "Back in Xadia, we call that getting _'brother-zoned'_ ain't no way you're getting out of there." The elf chuckled once more which earned another glare from Callum. "Oh dont give me that look, I cant help that your life is so amusing."

"Well, I'm just glad that Claudia and I are friends and we are going to continue on our journey through the human kingdoms at our own pace." Callum knew that as a prince he would still have to suffer the hospitality of the monarch of each kingdom for the sake of politeness, but at least he would be able to control how long he stayed in each kingdom.

"Yes well let's hope the other kingdoms in this _'Pentarchy'_ that humanity has created are more impressive then Katolis or Evenere," Aaravos muttered, dissatisfaction evident in his voice. "So far the humanity of this modern era is extremely disappointing."

Callum rolled his eyes, something he had been doing a lot since he had met the elf. "You are just so negative, you have nothing nice to say about anyone or anything, do you? You hate my friends, you hate everywhere we go, you are just a big sparkly ball of negativity."

"Can you blame me?" Aaravos asked, frustration evident in his voice. "These cities your people have created are nothing compared to the majesty of Elarion, and Elarion was a city created over a thousand years ago. Humanity has hardly developed since then. I understand being banished to the worst half of the continent and having to start over was tough but this...this Pentarchy is a joke with no punchline."

"Well, I think humanity has done well all things considered," Callum grumbled not liking his race or kingdom being insulted. "The Pentarchy isn't perfect, far from it but at least our five kingdoms work together to try and build a better future."

"I dont expect you to understand," Aaravos muttered, his voice growing distant. "Elarion...she created a city that was to be a model for all of humanity to follow. It was her greatest gift to her people, hope, hope for all of them to rise and become the best versions of themselves. She could have been a Queen, an Empress if she so wanted. Instead when power was presented to her she rejected it, instead, she chose for the city to be ruled by a council of the ten wisest individuals in the city, with them voting on what course of action was right. She chose leaders whose intelligence and ability suited them for leadership rather then bloodlines and birth. She dreamed of a world where even the lowest person could rise up to be great. Yet look at what humanity has become, your leaders are born into power, you rely on dark magic to solve almost every problem. You claim that the five kingdoms of this Pentarchy work together for the betterment of mankind but that's simply not true. The only reason your kingdoms work together is out of fear because they fear the elves over the border more then they fear each other."

"That's..." Callum didn't know how to respond to that, it was a gross oversimplification but it rang kind of true. "Well, I'm sorry we cant live up to your expectations of us, we do what we can. In truth, I've never even heard of Elarion until you told me about her and the city she built."

"No doubt lost to the annals of history like so much else when the continent was divided." Aaravos shook his head. "I know its not your fault but it's frustrating nonetheless. Elarion gave everything she had to humanity, and this Pentarchy is the result? These kingdoms of humanity are not driven by reason, logic, and hope but by fear, greed, and ignorance. Leadership is determined by bloodlines rather then one's own capability. Greed runs rampant with nobles fattening their purses at the expense of the lower class citizens. The Pentarchy is nothing more then a bunch of Oligarchs looking out for themselves."

"My stepdad is a good man and my brother is also good." Callum pointed out defensively. "Queen Fareeda and King Florian seem like good people who care about their citizens rather then themselves."

"Being good doesn't qualify one for leadership." Aaravos pointed out grimly. "It would be nice if it did but sadly it doesn't. Many good people have been bad leaders and many bad people have been good leaders. Your stepdad is an interesting example of a leader. He is a good man who wants to help all those around him, yet has to make sacrifices in order to accomplish those goals. He managed to save two Kingdoms from starvation and all he had to do was sacrifice your mother and two foreign Queens. Even before that he was willing to allow fifty thousand of his own people to starve to death to assist Duren. A noble notion but an idiotic one."

"What would you have done then?" Callum demanded both out of frustration and genuine curiosity. He hadn't had an answer for Claudia when she had asked him the same question earlier so he was curious how Aaravos would respond to the same question. "What's your solution to famine like the one Katolis and Duren faced?"

"If I had been in charge there never would have been a famine in the first place," Aaravos replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I understand that bad weather, insects, and poor soil can result in a bad harvest but all those things are easily remedied. First off you do crop rotations to preserve soil fertility, use pesticides to deal with insects, do humans even still use pesticides?"

"Pesti-what?"

"I'm taking that as a 'no'. Pesticides are used to deal with insects, and as for weather...well that can be easily remedied with mass-scale agriculture in greenhouses both above ground and underground. I also developed an ingenious system of farming called Hydroponics which allowed mass scale indoor agriculture in the city of Elarion. The city was so self-sufficient that it could withstand a siege indefinitely without food deliveries from outside sources."

Callum didn't recognize half the terms his teacher was using, all of it seemed too good to be true. "So that's it? More efficient farming is your answer? How would we even farm underground? Crops need sunlight as well as warmth."

"Earthblood elves will often use a thing called Sunstones to create artificial daylight underground and they even warm the air around them, they are easy enough to make artificially. Also, not all crops need light, mass-scale mushroom farms are quite efficient so long as you cultivate them correctly."

"So your answer is just better farming?'

"That and better stockpiles of provisions. Back in my day winters could be long and harsh, so there had to be massive food stockpiles for the cold seasons as well as crops that can grow in the cold. Honey never goes bad, also moon berries are pretty much the crop that keeps on giving. If preserved properly in the forms of jams and juicing they can sustain anyone through winter."

"Moon berries?" Callum knew what he was talking about, they were red berries that grew pretty much everywhere. They tasted nice but weren't all that nutritious. "How are those meant to sustain someone through winter? I dont know about elves but we humans cant survive on moon berries alone."

"Juicing moon berries under the light of a full moon unlocks their true nutritional value and potential within them. There is a reason moon berries are the cornerstone of Moonshadow elf cuisine. Moonshadow elves who travel or go to war will carry numerous bottles of Mooberry juice. A single sip of that stuff gives them enough nutrients and energy to march for an entire day."

"Really?"

"Really." Aaravos nodded. "There are many ways to avoid famine, my young apprentice, the most effective way to avoid it is to prevent it from ever happening. We have a saying in Xadia, _'An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure'_. Proper stockpiles of food, better agriculture, more varied agriculture, might have saved Duren from that famine, sparing the lives of their Queens and the life of your mother. Sadly it seems that humanity in this modern era would rather be reactive then proactive. Then again I've only seen things from over your shoulder. Before this journey, you rarely traveled outside of Katolis castle so my views are most likely a bit bias. Maybe I will get a more complete picture of things when we tour Duren, maybe get a closer look at their agricultural practices."

"Maybe...but you are right, I haven't even heard of half the stuff you mentioned. Did humans really have all that stuff back when they lived in Elarion?"

"Oh yes, that city rivaled even elven cities." Aaravos sighed sadly. "When it fell so much was lost...I thought perhaps the knowledge would be passed down but it looks like it wasn't..."

"Why are you only telling me about this now?" Callum asked, not understanding why his teacher never mentioned this stuff before. "We could use it to help so many people."

"You never asked," Aaravos answered simply. "Also you unveiling this sort of stuff to your fellow man would result in suspicion being cast upon you. It would make you a target, a figurative lightning rod for attention. Especially with you being so young, we only just barely managed to convince people about your blasting powder and art magic. Having you unveil the types of things I created would draw even more attention and not just from humanity."

That last bit got Callums attention. "You mean the elves would get suspicious?" he asked, unnerved by the idea of Xadia taking an interest in him.

"Perhaps..." Aaravos seemed to grow contemplative as his spirit paced around the room, deep in thought. "Or perhaps not...they wiped me from the history books, the only people still alive who would even know about me would be a few dragons and other people Id rather not think about. Dragons are so proud and idiotic that they wouldn't even care about the affairs of a single human...hmmmm yes...no doubt they buried or burned my old inventions so if you unveiled them to the world they wouldn't be able to put two and two together. Also after curing this plague, you will have all the credibility you would need with your own people to avoid suspicion...yes that might work..."

A thought suddenly occurred to Callum. "But wouldn't I just be taking credit for your work?" He was already renowned for his 'inventing' blasting powder. It made him feel guilty enough with just that hanging over his head. "I dont like lying to people or taking credit for stuff I didn't do."

Aaravos waved his hand dismissively. "Oh please, I'm not so vain that I need credit for that sort of stuff. Besides you do deserve some credit, if it wasn't for you releasing my spirit then this knowledge would have been lost forever. Do you think the person that invented the sword is angry that he isn't credited for every sword ever forged?"

"Whoever invented the sword has been dead for ages!"

"Well this is the same thing, I've been dead for ages. I could care less if you took credit for my creations. Xadia rejected them, called them unnatural, humanity has forgotten about them. It's not like my creations will ever see the light of day any other way.'

"What about when we get you a new body? Won't you want credit then?"

"At the rate things are going I think I'll end up being bound to you for a while," Aaravos grumbled. "Most things I would need for a new body are likely in Xadia. So you best get used to me hanging around. I was hoping to get my own body before you became a teenager and started...changing...but that looks less and less likely." Aaravos shook his head, Callum could see growing frustration in his teacher's body language. "Look, just grab that blue book over on the bookshelf and skim through it."

Callum walked over to the bookshelf and did as he was instructed. He opened the book and began to skim through it and with each turned page he felt his eyes widen slightly more. "These things..." He looked at one page which depicted some sort device that seemed to create steam from water for...he wasn't sure what. Each page depicted an invention well beyond Callums scope to understand, so he began to read the names of each invention out loud.

"Concrete?"

"Revolutionary way of creating buildings and roadways, my people claimed it was _'unnatural to manipulate the earth in such a way'_. Much of Elarion was created in such a short time span due to using cement to streamline construction. Also with some runic arrays and fortification with natural magical resources concrete can be made stronger then any natural stone structure."

"Printing press?'

"Way of mass-producing books...never got to implement it before I died. Which was a shame because I invented it for the sole purpose of spreading my knowledge, teachings, and message across the world so that all could benefit from the magnificent insights of my glorious mind."

"Right..." Callum muttered as he continued flipping pages. "Glorious insights such as...a burrito that cooks itself?" He asked as he read over a page describing the use of elvish runes to made food cook itself. "What on earth is a burrito?"

"Xadian delicacy," Aaravos responded. "Dont dismiss my creations so readily, food that cooks itself would have been a major revolution. Stay at home moms and dads would no longer have to toil in the kitchens for their squalling children, instead, the food would have cooked itself, giving them more time to focus on the important things in life. Like learning from me for example."

Callum found himself rolling his eyes at his teacher's vanity. "Some of these inventions are clearly more impressive the others..." Callum flipped over to a page with a very familiar invention, a mask with a bird-like beak in the front. "Ah, the plague mask...why is it called a mining mask here?"

"I originally made it for miners to avoid inhaling toxic dust, I just made a few tweaks to the runic arrays to make it filter out foreign bacteria and plague miasma," Aaravos explained. "Earthblood elves have a natural immunity to harmful chemicals and clouds of dust that one might find under the earth but sometimes even their immunity was pushed to the limit. The mask was meant to purify the air entering one's lungs, savins millions of lives in the mines of Xadia. Yet when I presented my creation to the Earthblood Elf leaders they claimed _'Such a thing goes against nature, our people will develop immunity to anything over time as nature intended.'_ Technically true, but how many lives were ruined while they developed that immunity over numerous generations? Every single one of my attempts to help my people was met with rejection. Those close-minded idiots would recognize brilliance if it walked right up to them and kicked them in the puntl!"

"Puntl?" Callum asked, the word unfamiliar on his tongue. "What the heck is a puntl?"

"It's ancient elvish for...I'll tell you when you're older..." Aaravos waved the question away. "My point is you can take that book and unveil whatever of those inventions you wish to the world of humans."

"But I would be taking credit for things you've done..." Callum hated the idea of taking credit for someone else's work, it would make him a fraud, a living lie.

"This again?" Aaravos grumbled, clearly tired of the topic. "Look the way I see it you have two choices. Option one is you can swallow your pride, become a liar and unveil these inventions to humanity, possibly saving millions of lives. Or option two is you keep your pride and keep these creations a secret resulting in the world staying the same as it is now."

"Okay...this guilt-tripping is..."

"Working?"

"Yes, it is..." Callum was realizing that the book in his hands could change everything, but would it be a good change or a bad change? "This will change the world...but...should I?" This was too much, so much responsibility, all of it his. He never wanted this, he just wanted to learn magic so that he could protect Ezran.

Aaravos seemed amused by Callum's predicament and didn't even try hiding his amusement. "If you want to make the world a better place then it has to change. So many people are afraid of change but change is necessary for the world to flourish. Humanity has to find a new path forward, otherwise, you'll end up fighting the same battles, and making the same sacrifices for all eternity. Well, what you hold in your hands is a new path forward. You wanted a new option, a way to beat the no-win scenario."

"If that's true why didn't this save Elarion?"Callum asked, wanting to know why all this world-changing stuff didn't save the supposedly greatest human city to ever exist. Yet all of this knowledge hadn't saved it or created a better future.

Aaravos seemed to contemplative before answering. "Elarion was an island surrounded by an ocean of darkness, and the tide rises against it. Elarion both the city and the woman were single light that the entire world attempted to extinguish. Even my best attempts to save them were ultimately...futile..." The elf adopted a forlorn look, one that Callum had never seen on his teacher's face. However, it soon passed. "Perhaps the division of the continent was a good thing, allowing humanity to find its own path. It's just a shame the path humanity has chosen to take has been a pitiful one that has only led to its degeneration."

"Well even with all this stuff Elarion still needed dark magic to flourish." Callum pointed out. "So how much will these creations of yours help out in the long run."

Aaravos snorted derisively. "Humanity needed dark magic because humans back in ancient times were uneducated. People lived in small feudalistic communities, most people couldn't even read. My creations required brilliant minds to create and use efficiently, they helped a great deal but they weren't enough to deal with the masses of humans who had lived their entire lives as hunters and gatherers or serving as serfs to some minor lord. Dark magic is fairly simple by comparison, just grab the magical creature bits you need and speak a spell backward and BOOM instant results. Far easier then running a hydroponic farm or studying complex medicine and biology. Within a few generations dark magic would have been phased out especially if Elarions plans had come to fruition, sadly she didn't have enough time..."

"But you think humanity is smart enough in this modern era to use your creations efficiently?" Callum was suddenly understanding his teachers thought process. Most people nowadays could read, and with organizations like the College of Enchanters in place who could help moderate and distribute such creations across the Pentarchy efficiently.

"I wouldn't say humanity is smart but you're all definitely smarter then most humans back in the day," Aaravos replied. "Plus with that river of lava Xadian intervention is unlikely, maybe that river of lava was a good thing after all."

"Okay, now you're just being mean." Callum retorted, tired of his teacher's negativity. "First off even I know that the river of lava dividing the continent is a bad thing that has only led to more conflict. You dont find peace by building walls. The only way to create peace is by tearing down walls and reaching an understanding."

"Spoken like an idealistic fool."

"So you're a realist like Claudia then?"

"No." Aaravos retorted. "I simply know what to do and the best way to achieve it. Idealists like you believe everything will work out without sacrifice, it rarely ever does. While people like your sorceress friend and her father justify doing terrible things by claiming _'Its the only way'_ or _'Its for the greater good, the big picture'_ but what they dont realize is that the big picture is made up of a lot of little pictures, and by the time they realize that they've sacrificed too much its too late...they've already lost everything and everyone they ever cared about..."

"This is what I mean by you being negative..."

"And you're just young and naive." Aaravos retorted, his tone becoming somewhat cold. "I've treaded down the path that you find yourself on Callum. I am merely trying to spare you the pain that walking such a path will bring. You would risk everything you have in the hope that the future might be better? What if it isn't? What if one day you wake up to find that the future you shaped is worse then what was?"

It didn't take a genius to realize that his teacher was talking about himself. "If that happens I'll take a breath, see where things went wrong, and then try again."

"That's your answer?" Aaravos asked. "Just try again?"

"If we give up and dont keep trying then we will never get it right." Callum knew he was being a bit unrealistic, but what was the alternative? You can either keep trying or just lay down and give up. "You're always talking about how you once wanted to make the world a better place, about how Elarion wanted to create a better world. You both failed, but that's fine. Just look at what you did wrong and try again."

Aaravos seemed to calm down, his face grew contemplative as he studied Callum. "You….are very much like her, Elarion...she also didn't believe in the no-win scenario and just kept fighting for the better world that she dreamed of."

"Thank you."

"It wasn't entirely a compliment," Aaravos replied. "Elarions quest for a better world consumed her but...perhaps you have a point. In a way all of you are children of Elarion, you are all merely lost...lost because you follow blind leaders." He pointed at the book that Callum as still holding. "Just take the book, my creations, and use them as your heart desires. I dont owe humanity anything, but I owe you a great deal, my apprentice. So I give you the power to help your people, use it if you wish, or dont. I cant force you to do anything, it's your decision to make."

"Fine…" Callum knew he wasn't going to change his teacher's outlook anytime soon, although he did find indifferent Aaravos preferable to negative Aaravos. He looked at the book once more, all this knowledge, it could help all of humanity, all he had to do was swallow his pride and become a living lie. Lie to everyone and convince them that he was some sort of genius, then again he had been doing that for years hadn't he? The blasting powder, his living art, his magical abilities, and even the cure. It had been him that discovered the amazing properties of bloodbug venom but only after his teacher showed him how to properly analyze the venom and identify its properties.

"It's a simple choice," Aaravos spoke up as if he sensed Callum's thoughts. "Your honor or your people? Which one matters most to you? If this knowledge had been available years ago then Duren might never have suffered a famine, you could help make sure that never happens again. You could make sure that no child ever has to lose their own mother on an expedition like the one your mother perished upon. Honor has killed millions but it hasn't saved a single person. Stand in the ashes of fifty thousand dead souls and ask the ghosts if honor matters...I once did and silence was the answer I received."

The words cut Callum deeply, what was his honor, his own personal pride compared to the lives he might save? All it would cost was the self-respect of one step-prince who was already living a lie. It was a bargain. Callum skimmed over the book until he landed on a very familiar page, the one that held the formula for explosive powder. He had already made the choice so many years ago. Why stop now?

"I've been living a lie for the last six years, what're a few more lies if it means helping humanity?"

* * *

Rayla walked through the woods near her home in an attempt to quell the numerous thoughts that were racing through her head. She was wearing her traditional assassin-in-training gear which was perfect for traveling through the woods, and she had her twin blades with her as well.

She had woken up at the hour of the wolf once more, her dreams not letting her sleep. She hadn't had a good night's sleep in months, her dreams haunting her both when she slept and in the waking world. She knew the cause of it all and she held it tightly as she walked through the woods to the old training ground she often used far away from the place she called home.

In her hands she clutched the star primal stone she had been gifted all those months ago, only now she realized that it hadn't been a gift at all.

It had been a curse.

Whenever she used it she saw visions, visions of things past, present, and future. Some of the visions were things of beauty, but more often they were visions of horror and war. Most didn't make any sense, the people she saw were strangers to her. As bad as the visions were they would have been fine if they only came when she used the primal stone but they also came when she slept. She had tried everything to stop them, she had locked the primal stone away, kept it far away from where she slept but no matter what the dreams always came.

She had tried getting rid of it by throwing it into a lake, throwing it off a cliff, giving it away, and numerous other methods but whenever she woke up the next day it would be sitting on her nightstand, staring at her. It had to be cursed or have a strange enchantment placed upon it. She was tempted to tell Runaan but her uncle had enough to deal with.

She would deal with this herself.

Which was why she found herself trudging towards as remote a location as she could reasonably reach. Her old training ground would be a perfect place to smash the primal stone to pieces. She had no idea what would happen, she had tried to read up on the subject but the few books she read made no mention of the results of a primal stone shattering, especially one with a star in it. But after so many months she couldn't take it anymore.

It was ending tonight, one way or another. She would destroy this orb, hopefully, the old training ground near her home was remote enough to avoid any collateral damage.

Her last dream had been the final straw. She dreamed she was fighting living shadows on a great battlefield, the shadows had chains of darkness around their necks, arms, and ankles yet they threw themselves at her with reckless abandon. She had been wielding a glowing sword that shone with the light of a full moon and it cleaved the shadows, making them disintegrate with each swing.

She hadn't been alone in the dream, there had been others fighting alongside her, she couldn't remember their faces or anything about them except their weapons. One wielded a strange staff that glowed with white light, a sharp blade shining at one of its ends. Another figure wielded a weapon made of pure ice that froze and shattered all the enemies before it. Another figure had wielded a strange weapon that struck out at the shadows like it was a snake. The final figure had a staff that seemed to drink in the darkness of its enemies and turns it against them.

The dream had actually been a good one until Rayla had stabbed her sword through a shadow that was sneaking up on one of her allies, instead of completely disintegrating the shadow had instead turned its head to face her and she saw to her horror the shadow had the face of her uncle Runaan.

She had woke up crying, it had been the last straw which had led her to this very moment.

That hadn't been the only dream either. Rayla dreamed of other things, all equally horrible. On the night she had brought the primal stone home she had dreamt she was on a large ship, sailing upon the sea. Her fear of large bodies of water made that dream terrifying already, but it only got worse when she realized that the ship was sailing upon a sea of blood and that the ship was being sailed by a dark figure with ten long grasping arms that reached out and dragged her down beneath the waves.

As she drew towards the training ground, the primal stone clutched tightly in her hands she heard a voice, a female voice. The woods that surrounded her were thick, and dark at this hour of the night but everything was fairly well illuminated by glowing mushrooms, fireflies, and various other magical flora that gave Rayla a fairly good grasp of her surroundings. Yet she didn't see the owner of the voice, but she did know which direction the voice was coming from.

"The training grounds..." No one other then her and her uncles should know about the training grounds, much less be hanging out near them. Rayla slipped the primal stone into one of her pockets and grasped her blades, with a single slick motion they were unfolded and ready for anything.

Rayla began to run through the woods, her assassin training ensuring she didn't make a sound as she glided through the foliage like an incorporeal shadow, her presence not disturbing a single leaf or blade of grass as she expertly navigated the thick foliage. As she drew closer to the voice she realized it was someone singing, and as she drew closer she could make out the words.

_He rode through the streets of the city_

_Down from the stars on high_

_Over the winds and the steps and the cobbles_

_He rode to a woman's sigh_

_For she was his secret treasure_

_She was his shame and his bliss_

_For magic and power are nothing_

_Compared to the magic of a woman's kiss_

_For the Stars are old and always cold_

_But a woman's hands are warm_

_For the Stars are old and always cold_

_But a woman's hands are warm_

Rayla jumped over several rotting logs and had to sidestep a startled doe that had been munching on some moon berries, but she refused to slow her sprint as she drew closer to the voice.

_And there she stood with sword in hand_

_The last of Elarion's ten_

_Red the grass beneath her feet_

_And red her foes the dragons bright_

_And red the glow of the setting sun_

_That bathed her in its light_

_'Come one come all' the sorceress called_

_My sword is hungry still_

_And with a cry of savage rage_

_The dragons swarmed across the sky_

_And with a cry of savage rage_

_The dragons swarmed across the sky_

Rayla drew closer to the training ground, she wasn't sure who would be singing in an old training ground near her home but she was going to find out. She stepped over several patches of lunar glass which sent up clouds of dragonflies into the air.

_He rode through the burning city_

_Down from the blood-red sky_

_Over the broken steps and bloodstained cobbles_

_He rode to her last sigh_

_She was once his secret treasure_

_She was once his shame and his bliss_

_But the dragons had burned her and her dreams to ashes_

_Now her memory was his only bliss_

Rayla burst into the clearing of the old training ground, there were numerous pieces of training equipment such as target dummies, sparring dummies, and an obstacle course at the far end of the ground. Yet she didn't see anyone here who might have been singing.

"Fancy seeing you here little nightingale, did you enjoy my song?"

Rayla turned around from the direction she had just come and saw a familiar Startouch elf woman sitting gracefully upon a large log. Her immaculate clothes not showing a single stain or piece of dirt from the forest around them.

"You..." Rayla growled as she glared at the Startouch elf woman, she had no idea how she had missed her while coming into the clearing. She had jumped over that log only a few seconds ago, yet Rayla pushed those thoughts from her mind as she focused on the reason for her torment for the last few months.

"Yes, me…" Sovaraa replied as she got up from the log she was sitting on and stood before Rayla. "Although you dont sound so pleased to see me..."

Rayla held one of her blades before her, pointed directly at Sovaraa's chest. "Why would I be pleased to see a crone that cursed me!" Rayla growled, any thoughts of elven manners regarding one's elders long gone.

"Cursed you?" Sovaraa asked, her voice showing genuine confusion. "How could knowledge be a curse? If anything I should angry with you, I had to travel a great distance in a very short time just to make sure you didn't do something foolish."

Rayla put away one of her blades but kept the one pointed at Sovaraa ready for use at a moment's notice. With her free hand, she grabbed the primal stone and held it up. "You mean trying to destroy this cursed thing? If you dont want me destroying it then take it back!" She offered the stone to Sovaraa but the Startouch elf made no motion to accept the stone.

"Destroying the stone or taking it back will both result in the same thing, the doom of the world," Sovaraa replied sadly. "You must have it, for it will teach you the most important trait for anyone to have, which is doubt."

"Doubt?" Rayla asked, anger seeping into her voice as she tightens the grip on her blade. "Doubt is the greatest enemy of an assassin!" She said, echoing the words Runaan had once taught her.

"Doubt is the greatest gift we mortals possess, it is a good thing," Sovaraa replied. "Doubt prevents us from making terrible mistakes, only an evil person is without it. You must learn to doubt what you have learned, question reality and your place within it. Only then can you save the world."

"You're crazy." Rayla couldn't believe the utter nonsense this woman was spouting. "Just take back the primal stone and leave me alone!"

"No," Sovaraa stated, her voice cold. "If I take it back I will doom the future of the world. In such a grim dark future there will be only war. There will be no peace between humans and elves, only an eternity of carnage and slaughter and the hideous laughter of an ever-hungering darkness. Should such a future come to pass it would be best to simply let the world burn."

Rayla didn't care what this crone was saying, she just wanted her life to return to the way it was. She didn't want any more visions or dreams, she just wanted them to end. "Take it back!" She declared as she threw the primal stone at Sovaraa. The stone sailed through the air before promptly passing through Sovaraa as if the woman wasn't there, the star touch elf seemed to phase out of existence as if she had been an illusion.

"Solum Ortus!"

Before the primal stone could hit the ground a large hand made out of soil sprouted from the earth and caught the orb before it could shatter. The hand then gently set the stone on the ground before returning to the soil from whence it came.

"You're an earth mage?" Rayla asked as she peered around at the forest that surrounded her, looking for where Sovaraa had gone.

"I am far more then that." A voice called out from nowhere and everywhere. "Luna Allucinatio Effinigo!"

Suddenly the training grounds were filled with Sovaraas, all of them gazing at her with eyes hidden behind a metal circlet. She might not know all the words in that spell but she knew 'Luna' was the draconic word for moon. The woman could also use Moon magic.

"What are you?" Rayla slashed at the nearest copy of Sovaraa and watched as it phased out of existence. "How can you do this?"

"The better question is why are you unable to do this?" All the clones asked, their tone condescending and echoing in the training ground like a chorus. "You who were born with a piece of the moon primal, yet you cant cast even the simplest of spells. He once declared that our peoples were arrogant and wasteful because we never bothered to master the gift that nature bestowed upon us. He was right about that at least."

"Shut up!" Rayla began to run through the training ground slashing at every clone she could with her blades, not caring if she would hit the real one. "Show yourself and take that stone back!"

"You seem stressed." The clones said, in a motherly tone even as Rayla continued to cut them down, yet for each one, she cut down two more seemed to pop up. "We should end this before you hurt yourself."

"Sanguis Flumen Flecto!"

Rayla froze in place, her body was completely numb and she felt unable to move, the only thing she could control was her eyes which she used to try and scan her surroundings to figure out what was happening. "What...why...cant...I..." She tried to move her arms but they refused to obey, it was as if her entire body was suddenly made out of stone.

Suddenly her hands dropped her blades despite her not wanting to drop her only weapons. She could only watch as Sovaraa, or at least what she assumed was the real Sovaraa walked up to her, the Star touch elf had one of her hands outstretched, with the fingers of her had moved around as if…

As if the woman was controlling a puppet...

"Fun little fact for you little nightingale." Sovaraa began as she prepared for a lecture. "With ocean magic and proper training a person can control blood flow within a body, an elf and even a human body are mostly water making it very vulnerable to manipulations, especially if you manipulate the blood flow in a person's brain." Sovaraa flexed her fingers and Rayla felt her body go rigid as she adopted a stern stance like a soldier at attention. "No need to be so formal little nightingale, relax a bit...why dont you have a seat?"

Rayla's body immediately sat down on the ground, like a dog obeying its master. She wanted to curse Sovaraa but found herself too terrified to do so, she shuddered to think of what elf the woman across from her was capable of.

Suddenly she found herself free of the woman's control, she raised up her hands in front of her face and flexed her fingers, happy that she could manipulate them freely again. She lowered her hands and glared at the blind seer before her. "Was that really necessary?" She asked cautiously, ready to sprint away at a moment's notice if the elf across from her showed even a tiny inkling of casting a spell.

"Yes," Sovaraa replied. "You were angry and making a nuisance of yourself, you most likely would have cut yourself with the way you were hacking and slashing. I hope that I've made it clear just how pointless such actions are and how futile it is for you to attempt to hurt me."

She had, it was obvious that the Startouch elf across from her was on another level entirely, one Rayla knew she couldn't match...for now…

"Now we can talk civilly." Sovaraa sat on the ground across from Rayla.

"Because controlling someone's body with magic is on so very _civil_..." Rayla growled, not at all happy how the situation had turned out. Yet her anger seemed to amuse Sovaraa who smiled in return.

"I suspect you have questions, ask away and I will answer all of them truthfully."

Rayla scoffed. "I somehow doubt that..." The woman had already tricked her into accepting a poisoned gift.

"Why little Nightingale, you should have learned by now...Startouch elves never lie...we only ever speak the truth."

Rayla found herself grinding her teeth in anger at the utter bullshit the woman was spewing. "And what is the truth?" Rayla asked, already onto the woman's sick word games. "Is truth simply the negation of lies? Or is it a statement of fact? And if the fact is a lie, what then is the truth? I'm onto your sick word games. You dont have to lie to hide the truth from people."

Sovaraa laughed, which only made Rayla even angrier. "Oh, you are clever little Nightingale. If only the boy was as clever as you are. Then again the one who manipulates him has manipulated kings, queens, humans, elves, and even dragons. What chance does a child have? The boy is simply lucky that his manipulator sees himself in him, the son he might have had with her if fate had been kinder... I shudder to think what might have happened otherwise..."

"What are you talking about?" Raylka was completely lost, what boy? What manipulator?

"You will know when you meet him," Sovaraa replied, her tone growing melancholy. "When you meet him he will be at his lowest point. You must protect him, but most of all you must help him heal. But for now, let us focus on you little Nightingale. I know you have questions, so ask away and I will answer them...truthfully."

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Authors note
> 
> Sorry, this chapter was so dialogue-heavy but I wanted to get several important story points out of the way before season 3 drops. I promise things will pick up in pace later. My writing style is slow like a glacier, so please be patient with me, I promise things will pick up once we leave Evenere.
> 
> Some people didn't like the way I handled Claudia, fair criticism although I stand by the arc I'm creating for her. Some people defended the show's portrayal of her healing Soren but I still think it was cheap. She solved her brothers crippling in a few episodes by killing a deer...a deer...I could understand if she had to kill a unicorn or a highly sentient creature like Lujannes Moon Phoenix and the choice tore her up inside but she literally managed to cure a person who was a paraplegic by killing an average deer. Which begs the question of why humans need to poach exotic magical creatures if the average deer has enough primal energy to heal someone who was hopelessly crippled. This also seems to confirm that every creature in the Dragon prince universe no matter how mundane has magical energy, its just humanity that's the odd one out.
> 
> The show hasn't explained dark magic...at all which is why I'm creating my own rules for it unless season 3 gives us an explanation into how it works then I'm going to have to start making shit up. In my story, there is a reason why its evil, although evil might not be the best word. The way humanity uses it is evil but there is a way to use dark magic without...well now I'm getting into spoilers for my story.
> 
> All I ask is everyone be patient, we haven't even left Evenere yet, the first on a five-kingdom journey. Characters have only begun their arcs and growth so please chill. Also, keep in mind I have to do a great deal of world-building. The show doesn't exactly do all that much of it.
> 
> Also, some people question the way I formulate the primal magic spells. The show has only given us a few examples so I took creative liberties. I kind of take inspiration from Skyrim with the dragon shouts since in both the Dragon prince and Skyrim having the dragon language be the basis for magic. In my story the more words you speak while casting a spell with a rune the more the spell can do. For example, Sovaraa used an ocean spell to manipulate Rayla like a puppet by manipulating the blood in her body like water. The words she used worked like this
> 
> Sanguis Flumen Flecto- Which translates to- Blood Flow Bend - thus allowing her to manipulate Rayla. Kind of like how Fus Ro Dah translates to Force Balance Push.
> 
> I just want you all to know I appreciate your reviews/comments/ and kudos. I also appreciate your criticisms, I might not always agree with them but I do appreciate them. Also, let's all keep calm, the comments section of the last chapter got a little heated, let's all remember that this is just a fanfiction made solely for fun. Let's not take things personally when it comes to a harmless fanfiction based on a kid's cartoon on Netflix. This is referencing the Archive of our own comments section, my Fanfiction dot net reviewers probably have no idea what I'm talking about right now. Let's just say discussion of my last chapter got a little heated, which is fine, it just shows the story is having an impact on people whether it be positive or negative.
> 
> Sorry, this chapter took so long, I'm working six days a week lately. I'll see you all later. I hope to get one more chapter out before season 3 drops.


	13. Chapter 13

"Ask your questions little Nightingale and I shall answer," Sovaraa stated to Rayla who was trying her best to not try and attack the madwoman in front of her.

"Any question?' Rayla asked, trying to see what the old crone was doing, all her instincts were telling her that there was no danger from the woman sitting across from her but she knew better. The woman might be wold but she was clearly a powerful magic user, and mages were never to be underestimated.

Sovaraa nodded. "Of course, I'm an open book that offers knowledge to all who would ask. So long as you ask the right questions."

Rayla knew what the woman was really saying, _ask the right thing or I will play word games with you for eternity_. Rayla had to resist throwing some dirt into the woman's face. Instead, Rayla tried to think of the right question to ask. She needed something harmless, an easy question to test what the woman was up to.

"How old are you?" A simple question but one that she hoped would be hard for the woman to wriggle out of.

"Older then those whose footsteps have long vanished," Sovasraa answered, sending a smug smile in Raylas direction much to the girl's annoyance.

Rayla couldn't help but frown at the vague answer, she should have been more specific, the more specific the question the harder it would be for the Startouch elf to wriggle out of it. "I mean how many years old are you?"

"I dont know," Sovaraa answered, her voice showing no hints of deception. "When you have lived as long as I have you stop keeping track of years. But I have walked this earth for far too long, yet I will never get the end I so desire until my task is complete."

Rayla frowned once more, unsure of what to make of such an answer. "You...want to die? Why would you wish for death?" She asked, trying to phrase the question right.

"Wish for death?" Sovaraa let out a dry humorless chuckle. "There is no point in wishing for luxuries, death is a gift that I do not deserve."

"Why would you want to die?" Rayla was confused by the strange woman's words, maybe she really was crazy.

"Those who run from death stood still in life. The only true death is to never live." Sovaraa replied simply. "I have seen so many things in all my years. I've seen civilizations rise and fall, the death of gods and destruction of wonders. I shall see it all happen again before all this is over. I have lived my life to the best of my ability, yet I have not been able to escape fate, anger, or pain. Now all that is left is for me to show you the answers and the road that leads to truth."

Another answer that revealed so very little yet also seemed to be hinting at so much. Rayla was getting frustrated, she was getting so much from the woman yet none of it made sense. "Do all Startouch elves speak in riddles as you do?"

"Yes." Sovaraa nodded. "We think its fun to watch the other races scratch their heads in confusion after talking to us. Also when you are literally unable to lie you learn to speak vaguely about all things lest you reveal things that should stay buried."

A true answer. One that wasn't wrapped in wordplay...at least that's what Rayla hoped. She could also understand why one would speak in riddles and wordgames if you were literally unable to lie. Yet that didn't excuse what the woman had done to her when lying about her gift. "Why are you doing this to me?" She saw the primal stone from earlier was within arms reach, lying innocently on the green grass next to her. She picked it up and held it in her lap. "Why would you torture me with something like this?" She held the primal stone up for effect. "What did I ever do to you? I haven't had a good night's sleep in months..."

Sovaraa frowned, a look of genuine sadness seemed to cross the elf's face, although without visible eyes it was hard for Rayla to tell what the woman was truly feeling. "I am sorry that this burden has fallen upon you little Nightingale," Sovaraa said kindly. "But you must open your eyes and see what lies ahead. So much is at stake, war is coming, the likes of which has never been seen in all the history of this world. You will be near the center of it all, and with you lies a chance for peace."

Rayla wasn't sure how to respond to that. "What are you talking about? Cant, you be more specific?" All the vagueness was frustrating. "You make it sound like I'm some chosen one or something, like out of an old adventure book. All that's missing is me discovering a magic sword and having my family get killed in a bandit attack or some other plot device used to get me to go on a heroes journey." Rayla half-joked, Runaan had claimed that Sovaraa and her prophecies were discredited even by her own people so she had doubts about the woman's abilities.

Sovaraa frowned. "There is more truth in your statement then you realize, the blades you wield now are the tools of a killer, but you are no killer little Nightingale. He will forge you a new blade, one that suits your true role as a protector far more. As for your family...they will not die but you will someday wish they had."

Rayla didn't like what Sovaraa was implying and it took all her self-control not to lose her temper. "I'm going to be an assassin, I dont care what your prophecies or visions show. For all, I know that vision of me..." She winced as she recalled the memory of her raising a dagger and bringing it down, followed by a child's scream. "Hurting that child was planted by you to make me freak out." It could have been a trick, the woman across from her certainly seemed capable of it if her previous demonstrations of magic were anything to go by. "As for my family, there is nothing that would ever make me wish for them to die," Rayla stated with certainty, she loved her parents more then anything. "My parents are honored members of the Dragonguard and I'm proud of them. I couldn't ask for better parents or for better uncles."

"For your sake, I hope you are right," Sovaraa replied sadly. "Yet someday you may choke upon those words as all your joy turns to ash in your mouth."

"Enough of this," Rayla grumbled, sick of this verbal sparring. "I could sit here and listen to you insult my family and spout nonsense all night, but as it turns out I have far more important things I would rather be doing. So lets cut tot he chase here. Will you stop tormenting me with visions and dreams?" She hefted the primal stone up once more. "I know this thing is responsible, isn't it?"

"Yes and no..."

Rayla had to resist reaching for her blades. "I want the truth Sovaraa..." She demanded, over the word games and riddles.

"The primal stone does show visions." Sovaraa allowed. "But the reason you're tormented by them is that you fight them so harshly. The stone wants to show you the truth but you deny it and flee from it. That's why it's affecting your dreams. If you would just gaze into it and allow it to show you the truth then your dreams would no longer haunt you as they do."

Rayla shook her head, she had gazed into the stone several times and what she saw was horrible. "I look into that primal stone and...it overwhelms me. The visions are so horrible, there's so much pain in them..." She recalled several times where she had seen visions of war, she had felt the pain and despair soaking the battlefield, heard the names of loved ones that dying soldiers uttered in their last breaths. "So many voices...so much pain...I cant stand it..." It took all her strength to not shudder as she recalled the visions she had seen the few time she had used the stone.

"You're afraid and that's natural." Sovaraa soothed in a motherly voice. "And as frightening as it may seem, understanding that pain will make you strong. If you stopped fighting it and allowed yourself to focus on it then you will be able to overcome it...let me help you. Let us gaze into eternity together."

Sovaraa gestured for Rayla to hold up the primal stone but she hesitated. Could she trust the woman across from her? It was Sovarra who had cursed her with this stone in the first place.

As if sensing her thoughts Sovarra offered Rayla a smile. "I Sovaraa Aurastella swear by the stars that I mean you no harm, whether it be physical, mental or emotional. I only wish to help you little Nightingale, help you become stronger so that you may be ready for the trials that lie ahead. I also swear that should you indulge me I will give you something to stop your dreams from haunting you. Now let us gaze into eternity together."

Rayla tried to find clever wordplay, some attempt at deception but couldn't find any. It was the single most truthful and straightforward thing the Startouch elf had ever said. Rayla held up the primal stone with both her hands and Sovaraa grasped it with her own hands, their fingers meeting.

Rayla almost screamed as she felt the voices and emotions overcome her. There were so many, all of them experiencing different things. She felt pain, sadness, happiness, betrayal, jealousy, hatred, every emotion a person could feel flooding into her mind. Her vision was dark as if the light had gone out from the world leaving her surrounded by an ocean of darkness. Yet she could hear voices all around her.

_"You'll doom us all!"_

" _This entire world is a prison! But I will set you all free!"_

" _I'd rather die saving lives, then live with taking them needlessly."_

" _I gave you everything you asked for. It's not my fault that it's not what you wanted."_

_"Look at all of you. So small and weak...and so meaningless. I thought coming here would be magical, that I would learn so much but in the end...he was right about all of you..."_

_"There was a time, a moment. When my destiny wasn't certain...that moment is gone."_

" _That's the difference between us. We both gazed into the darkness of the abyss, but when the abyss gazed back at us, you blinked!"_

" _My Midnight Star...time never was on our side..."_

" _I'm glad that she isn't here to see the monster that you've become."_

" _He doesn't deserve this...I'm the one at fault, I made all of this possible..."_

" _I could kill you all, but I won't. Because I think it is far crueler to show you all that I was right."_

" _You're right, what I'm doing is evil and unforgivable, but if my actions save a million mothers mourning the deaths of a million sons then my conscience will rest easy."_

" _Even without my eyes, I recognize this magic! After over a thousand years have you finally returned to haunt me Elarion?!"_

_"My King's final command was for me to protect his sons from any person that would harm them. Even if that person is you…"_

" _He has made me realize that you're all her children, and you are lost. Lost because your leaders are blind, but fear not for I am here now."_

" _You've barely said a word this entire time! Just admit it! You're glad our dad is dead aren't you?!"_

" _Mom...I'm so sorry...I failed you."_

" _I'm disappointed in you...you've turned into your parents."_

Rayla couldn't take it anymore, so many voices, so many emotions. "I cant..." She couldn't do this. When it came to physical challenges like flipping through trees or practicing with her blades she could manage that all day until her body gave out but this right here was something she wasn't strong enough to manage.

"You can and must." She heard Sovaraa's voice state in a motherly tone. "Just focus on one voice, block out all the others."

She tried to follow the woman's instructions, the voices were so numerous that it was hard to single one out. Then she heard a small voice, weak and sad that caught her attention.

_"I'm not a freak..."_

Suddenly Rayla's vision cleared and she found herself standing in what appeared to be a large classroom. The same type of classroom she remembered being in when she was a child attending daycare. However, this classroom was far fancier then the simple one she had once spent her childhood days in. The wood that made up the desks and chairs was silver, the floorboards were even made out of the same silver wood, the walls were blue and the room was illuminated by little orbs of light that looked like tiny stars floating through the air.

In the corner of the classroom, she saw a small child who appeared between six to eight years old. The child's hair was silver, his skin was covered in glowing markings like stars, and his eyes were golden. He was a Startouch elf, and he appeared to be picking up the pieces of a machine of some sort that looked like it had been smashed to pieces. On the ground next to the machine, the word ' _freak'_ had been painted in white paint.

Rayla walked up closer to get a better look at the machine. It was hard to tell what it was after it had been so brutally smashed but she saw it was a strange copper ball with holes in it that was attached to some sort of basin by a set of pipes. She couldn't make heads or tails of the strange device.

"I'm not a freak..." the young boy complained, Rayla could see that he was holding back tears. "I just wanted to show them how steam can be used to make the ball spin. It's like a water wheel that doesn't require a river..."

Rayla watched as the child's eyes turned from sad to angry and cold. "They think they're so special, all they do is study the same spells and divinations that our ancestors have already mastered. I dont need them, I dont need their friendship or approval. I'll just get married and have a hundred kids, then I can have a hundred friends."

Rayla had to cover her mouth to stop herself from bursting out into laughter, that was the saddest but also the funniest thing she had heard in a while. The type of answer only a child could give seriously. This vision wasn't all so bad, it was better then the visions of war and death that she had been having in her dreams lately.

Rayla saw Sovaraa walk up alongside her, the older elf seemed to be staring at the young child, although it was hard to tell since the woman's eyes were hidden behind her metal circlet.

"He never did get to the acceptance he desired, not from his own people." Sovaraa began, her words filled with obvious sadness. "Nor did he get the family he wanted, though there is still hope for him if he would only embrace it. They could heal each other but I fear he is too stubborn to let the boy heal him. He gave up all hope of such a thing after her fall...he was always at his best when helping others, yet when left alone he became so terrible. Worshiping only himself and his own vanity, yet there is still a chance for redemption if he would only allow himself to hope again."

"Sometimes I feel like your talking to someone else and not me," Rayla complained as she stifled back a groan. "Enough with the riddles, what are we doing here? How many of these visions do I have to see until you leave me alone? And what does some random Startouch elf child have to do with me anyway?"

"He is the one who has set things in motion," Sovaraa answered grimly. "Even now he has plans within plans. Our only salvation is that he fears to bring harm to his disciple or turning the boy against him. Yet still, I fear too much damage has been done already, with merely a glance he saw what lurked in the hearts of the boy's caretakers. He sees the darkness that lurks in the hearts of men, children of Elarion that was. He cares little for them because they have wasted her sacrifice, her dreams which were once so beautiful have turned so horrible before his own eyes."

Rayla was still having trouble understanding what the Startouch elf was saying. Elarion?Darkness in men's hearts? So much of it made no sense whatsoever. "You talking about that kid?" Rayla asked as she pointed at the Startouch elf boy. The vision had long since concluded, the child's form was frozen in place, hunched over the broken machine. "Hard to imagine someone like him growing up to be evil." From Rayla's point of view the kid looked like kind of a nerd, kind of like her uncle Tinker who loved to….tinker.

"Some claim he is evil. In truth, he simply has a vision and the will go to almost any length to accomplish it. It is a beautiful dream, one that the two of them shared but the path he will take comes with too high a cost. He believes that for a new world to be born it must rise from the ashes of the old one. Let me show you what he believes must be done. " Sovaraa reach over to the primal stone in Rayla's hand and touched it with her own. Suddenly the scenery around them began to change, the classroom began to dissolve into black smoke and was instead replaced with a wartorn battlefield.

The battlefield was torn up with numerous craters and scorched grass, the sky was choked with smoke which barely let any sun through the clouds. Yet all that was beautiful compared to the numerous bodies lying all around here, so many that there was barely any ground left to walk on. Ravens, crows, and rats all lingered on the field, feasting upon the bodies. Rayla saw that there were elves of every kind on the ground, and among the elves were human corpses as well.

Rayla felt her stomach churn at such a horrible sight, she had seen terrible sights before but nothing quite like this. She steeled herself, using all the mental training that Runaan had taught her to stay calm under pressure. She took a deep breath to calm herself but almost retched as the smell of rot and decay entered her lungs.

"Terrible isn't it?" Sovaraa appeared from seemingly out of nowhere, gracefully stepping over then bodies so that she was standing in front of Rayla. "The smell after a great battle is the worst...the songs our people sing about the glory of war always leave this part out. The smell of decay and feces, both humans and elves shit themselves shortly after dying. The stories always leave that part out."

Rayla breathed through her mouth as she attempted to avoid smelling the foul air. "What is this?" She asked, gesturing to the carnage around them. In the distance, she saw giant corpses belonging to fallen dragons, something she never thought she would see in her entire life.

"The future." The Startouch answered simply as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"You're lying." Rayla retorted, remembering her uncle's words. "The future is ever in motion, nothing is certain. You're just showing me one possible future arent you?" She was catching onto Sovaraa's games.

Sovaraa chuckled darkly. "Usually you would be right but in this case you are wrong. The path we are on leads to this conflict, a war that's been brewing for thousands of years. The battles and outcomes might be different depending on the paths taken but almost all futures lead to this." She gestured grandly to the carnage surrounding them.

Rayla wasn't convinced, "You just said _almost_ all futures lead to this." She gestured to the devastation that surrounded them "Which means there are some that don't." She pointed out, catching onto the way Sovaraa spoke, using small words to hide greater deceptions.

"Very true, but there is only one path that could lead to peace," Sovaraa replied, she snapped her fingers and the battlefield dissolved, leaving them standing in a simple field of grass with a moonlit sky overhead. "You will have to make a choice little Nightingale, between your family's honor, and the future of all of Xadia. That choice will determine whether or not all this happens."

"What?" Rayla didn't understand, how did her family's honor come into this? "You aren't making any sense. How will I decide such a thing? I cant create peace between humans and elves, it's impossible. As long as humanity keeps crossing the border and poaching magical creatures there will never be peace." Those border skirmishes were small but they kept tensions high between her people and humanity. She had friends who had lost family to such battles, the bitterness of loss made peace unlikely.

Sovaraa shook her head. "There will never be peace if we keep ourselves separate from each other. This separation has created a divide, one that must be closed if there is ever to be understanding between our separate peoples. Even before the division of the continent...there was a chance if only we hadn't been so prideful."

"Prideful?" Rayla had heard the story of Xadia's division, about how the only way to keep humanity from practicing dark magic in elven lands was to split the continent. It was a story every elven child heard while growing up. "It was the only way to protect ourselves and the land from humanity's use of dark magic."

"Something that wouldn't have been needed if we had shown them a better way. If we hadn't judged them so harshly. " Sovaraa replied, her voice full of sadness. "The problem is elven society. In Xadia there is no poverty, little crime, and barely any conflict. When one gazes upon one of our cities it is like looking at paradise itself." Sovaraas' eyeless gaze fell upon Rayla and the Moonshadow elf couldn't help but take a step back. "Well let me tell you something little Nightingale. It's easy to be a saint in paradise. But humanity has never lived in paradise even back when the continent was whole. In their world, there are no saints, just people doing whatever they can to survive. Angry, scared, and determined people who want to build a better life for themselves and their children. And they are willing to do whatever it takes to make that possible whether it meets elven approval or not."

Rayla didn't know how to respond to that. It went against everything she was taught but it rang true. "How do you know all this? Who are you really?" She found herself asking, wanting to know who she was truly dealing with.

"I am an old seer who has lived far too long," Sovaraa answered. "I once advised Sol Regem himself when he first ascended as the King of the Dragons. All the greatest leaders in ancient Xadia looked to me for counsel on all manner of things, hoping that my sight might aid them in guiding Xadia towards a better future. I was once a prideful creature that took pleasure in the lengths others would go to seek my favor. Yet that all ended when I gazed upon the fall of Elarion."

"Elarion?" Rayla had never heard that name before and was eager to learn more about the strange elf before her. "Whats Elarion?"

"Its the name of a human woman and the city she built," Sovaraa answered. "I still remember that city, built with his creations and his knowledge. Humanity's first attempt to mimic the wonders of elven civilization, it came very close to matching our greatest achievements. Most of all though I remember the fall of that city and the woman who it was named for. I remember her with wings as black as night as she soared through the sky, striking down the dragons who sought to burn her creation. I remember him fighting alongside her with wings made out of starlight. It was tragic when she fell, he tried so hard to save her...when he failed something in him broke like a cheap lock, and it's still breaking to this day. Yet even more tragic then his loss was all the others who were lost to dragon fire. I remember dragon fire burning the city indiscriminately, setting fire to men, women and children alike. The city survived that day but it was never the same."

"The dragons killed children?" Rayla couldn't believe it, dragons were ancient and wise being's. They wouldn't kill innocents on a mass scale...would they?

"Indeed they did. Dont look so surprised, the pursuit of justice can make people do terrible things." Sovaraa grimaced. "I remember when I protested the action, Sol Regem and his _enlightened_ council responded with...hmm...why tell you when I can show you?"

Before Rayla could ask her what she meant the scenery around them changed once more. She found herself standing alone in the middle of what appeared to be a giant meeting chamber. The walls were white marble and decorated with runes and majestic elven tapestries. the ceiling was high enough for a dragon to talk beneath the roof of the building.

As if to prove her observation true Rayla saw that there were numerous dragons in the room. All of them taking up places so that they faced the center of the round room. Among the Dragons, they were also elves in attendance, by their grab and finery she could tell they were all leaders of some sort. All of them were focused on a single Startouch elf woman who began to address the largest dragon in the room.

Rayla recognized both the woman and the Dragon she was addressing. The Dragon was Sol Regem who looked mightier then ever. She had only seen him a few times from a distance when her uncle took her near the border for endurance training. He looked so old and withered she had felt sorry for the old drake, yet this Sol Regem was mighty and seemed to be in his prime.

As for the elf woman, Rayla knew it was Sovaraa, a much younger Sovaraa who still had eyes. They were beautiful eyes that glowed bright gold, so bright it almost hurt to gaze directly into them. The rest of her was equally beautiful, lacking the wrinkles and other signs of old age she had seen on the woman. Her skin glowed like the night sky, giving her an almost otherworldly beauty.

"This is wrong and all of you know it." She heard young Sovaraa say, the woman's voice echoing through the halls, loud and clear as a song. "If we take this path there will be no going back. The consequences-"

"-are acceptable." Sol Regem interrupted, his strong voice echoing the halls with regal authority. "We will give them a chance to surrender of course, if they accept our terms there will be no need for bloodshed."

"Your terms will never be accepted." Sovaraa put forward angrily. "They will never agree to give up using dark magic. Its a cornerstone of their society, one of the few ways they are managing to survive while the city continues building itself up. I told you we just need to give them more time. Dark magic will fade away within a few generations of-"

"-of slaughter!" Sol Regem shouted, anger evident in his voice. "How many more creatures will we allow to die for humanity's sake? Their primal essence devoured, most likely never to return to the earth and be reborn. Only adding to the darkness that will only consume. Despite their crimes against nature we are not without mercy, they will be given a chance to surrender and the citizens may flee the city if they wish. But if they resist then the flame is all they will receive."

Sovaraa let out a dry humorless laugh. "So that is the decision of the illustrious Sol Regem, first King of the Dragons?" Sovaraa gazed around the room at the other dragons and elves who had remained silent throughout the exchange. "Your answer to this crisis is to torch a city of thousands? A city filled with men, women, and even children? What right do you have to make such a decision? Who gave you the right to play God?"

"All the people who were too afraid to make the difficult decisions themselves." Sol Regem replied. "When people pray for miracles and deliverance, they are really praying to people like us, like me to make the hard choices that they never could."

"And how many innocent souls are you willing to send into oblivion?"

Sol Regem lowered his head. "More souls then will ever forgive me, but I won't apologize for radical ideas or solutions when faced with a crisis like this."

Rayla couldn't believe what she was hearing, they were talking about genocide. What's worst was she saw all the elves in the room with the exception of Sovaraa weren't speaking up against this. She even saw Moonshadow elves in attendance who seemed content with Sol Regems plans.

"You have no right-"

"-That's where you're wrong." Sol Regem interrupted once more. "No sacrifice is too great, no evil too small if it means protecting Xadia. Dark magic is like a tree, its roots lay in darkness while it leaves sway in the wind. You can prune away its branches, even cut the tree to the ground. But it will grow again ever-stronger. You might question my right to destroy a city of over a hundred thousand souls, but those who truly understand the evil of dark magic, know that I have no right to let them live. They will have one last chance to surrender to our authority or they will be purified in flame. Removing the darkness from our land for good."

Rayla felt a feeling of disgust fill her stomach. How could anyone destroy a city filled with innocent people? Even if dark magic was being used in the city that didn't mean all the people, even the children deserved to die. She silenced that feeling of disgust and focused once more on the scene before her.

"I hereby resign from this council," Sovaraa stated, drawing gasps from everyone in the crowd. "If this is the type of leadership and decisions you all support then I will have no part in it. The future I see is a terrible one but perhaps it's one you all deserve. If you strike down that city you will doom us to war, endless war. I see a world divided, people divided, I see a world with only walls that will block out any hope of understanding. I see you as well Sol Regem, blinder then you are now, withered and drowning in failure."

"Watch your tone Dawn Star." Sol Regem growled. "I am the King here, and my orders are absolute. Elarion will be given a chance to surrender, should it refuse then the city will be purified of the darkness that lurks behind its walls."

Suddenly everything froze, the people, the dragons, everything. Rayla looked around to figure out why when she saw the real Sovaraa appear, her old form standing next to her younger doppelganger.

Rayla wanted to ask the woman so many questions but Sovaraa started talking before she could.

"Was my ass always that fat?" Sovaraa asked, making Rayla facepalm at such an idiotic question. The Startouch elf woman continued to inspect her younger self, ignoring Rayla completely. "I know its been over a thousand years but...I think I would have remembered it being that fat. Do visions of the past add ten pounds to someone's ass or something?"

Rayla scoffed at the question. "I think we have more important things to talk about." She put forward, wanting to get back on the subject and learn more about the events she had just witnessed. "Did this really happen? Did the city burn?"

"Sorry, I can be a little vain when thinking back to my glory days. It's not like I'm turning the men's heads any longer..." Sovaraa ceased the inspection of her past self's body and nodded. "The city did burn. I still remember the sight of that city on fire. Yet what was worst is that with my sight I was able to see the futures that the dying might have had if they hadn't been burned. I saw children that would have grown up to be healers, scholars, inventors, all manner of things burn alive. I saw all those potential futures snuffed out in the blink of an eye. I tore at my face with my hands, clawing out my eyes in hopes that the visions might end...yet they never did. It was on that day that I realized that my sight which I had taken such pride in and lorded over others hadn't been a gift at all. It was a burden, one I had used recklessly and the result is the world we see today."

Rayla could understand that, yet in all these revelations and visions there was one thing she just didn't understand. "Why me? Why are you telling me all this? Showing me all this? Im...just me..." She was just a regular Moonshadow elf, what could she possibly do about any of this?

"You are far more important then you realize. I've spent hundreds of years peering through time searching for someone like you. Now that I've found you I must see to it that you are prepared when the time comes." Sovaraa stated sadly. "Stop trying to be what your uncle wants you to be, stop trying to be what you believe will make your parents proud. Be yourself, be true to your inner nature. Do not allow yourself to become a tool, you must become something more then that."

Rayla wanted to tear the hair out of her head, frustrated by such a non-answer. "Just tell me what I'm supposed to do!" She demanded, she wanted this all to end. The visions, the responsibility, the visits from this strange seer. She wanted life to go back to being simple, back when she was just training to be an assassin. "Stop being so vague!"

"I must be vague," Sovaraa replied. "We often meet the worst of fates on the paths we take to change our own. The best I can do is try to nudge you towards the best path. For now, let's bring this to a close."

Rayla blinked and found herself standing back in the training ground near her home, the star primal stone clutched in her hands as Sovaraa stood in front of her. It was as if the visions had never happened.

"You held up your end of the bargain and heard me out so now it is time I held up mine." Sovaraa strode forward and held out her hand, in her palm was a large ring of silver metal inscribed with runes that Rayla didn't recognize. She knew it was a horn ring, some elves wore them round their horns for numerous reasons ranging from fashion to marks of cultural heritage. "This horn ring is enchanted and will shield your mind from the star primal stone, and any others who might seek to make you see things which you dont want to gaze upon. So long as you wear it you will be protected."

Rayla eagerly snatched it up and tried to place it on her right horn. As she slid it over her horn she felt it tighten on its own, the metal constricting around her horn until it fit perfectly.

"It is enchanted to change its size so you need not worry about it constricting your horns as they grow bigger." Sovaraa pointed out. "If you ever wish to use the primal stone I gave you you need only remove the ring."

Rayla had a feeling the ring wouldn't be removed for a long time, she had no interest in any more visions. "I doubt I'll be removing it anytime soon. I haven't had a decent nights sleep in ages, I'm still rather angry about you cursing me with that stone by the way."

"It wasn't a curse, dont be dramatic. If I truly wanted to curse you I could do far worse things then give you bad dreams," Sovaraa muttered as she waved away Rayla's accusation. "In my defense, I didn't think you would fight against the visions so harshly."

"But you can see the future cant you?" Rayla didn't understand how the Startouch elf in front of her could appear all-seeing yet not be aware of something that would obviously happen. "You should have known this would happen."

"I can see all _possible_ futures, this is true." Sovaraa allowed. "I can see all the choices you might make, but I won't know which choice you make until you actually make it. Free will makes true divination extremely difficult. Although there are some events that will happen no matter what choices are made. I call them _points of convergence_ , where all paths will meet before splitting up again. Those points are the ones I focus one most of all."

Rayla wasn't sure if she understood any of that, she was glad her primal source was the Moon. The moon was way less complicated. "I'm still not sure what to believe..." The things she had seen and heard this night seemed irrefutable and yet Rayla couldn't accept it all at face value.

"I understand why you doubt me." Sovaraa nodded thoughtfully. "Believe what you will, my main mission in coming here was to help you with your dreams and help set you on the right path. I also wished to give you something that might help you become stronger so that you will be ready when the time comes."

Rayla watched as Sovaraa reached into her robes and pulled out a large leatherbound book that she held out. Rayla accepted the book and opened it up only to find…."Blueprints?" Rayla looked closely and saw they were weapon blueprints for Lunarsteel weapons. Moonshadow elves were master craftsmen and were able to create blades that folded out, turned into climbing hooks, and did various other things through a clever mixture of craftsmanship and magic. Yet the blueprints before her seemed to show the single most complicated series of weapons she had ever seen.

Swords that could fold like her own but also turn into a bow like Runaan's own blades. There was a regular bow that could fold out and had a strange string system around it. There were also wrist-mounted bows, strange chain-like weapons, and various other types of weapons she had never seen before. Yet one design caught her attention, it was a wrist-mounted blade that seemed to be used for hidden assassinations. The blades were embedded into a gauntlet and were seemingly able to extend and retract on command. And was that a grappling hook built into the gauntlet?

"Impressed?' Sovaraa asked, delight evident in her voice.

Rayla couldn't help but nod. "I've never seen these types of designs before… did you create them?" Moonshadow elves prided themselves on their creativity when it came to weaponry but it seems like the Startouch elves had a few tricks of their own if they could create such designs.

"The Startouch elf child in your vision created them," Sovaraa replied, gaining Raylas attention immediately. "He studied under the master Moonshadow craftsman thousands of years ago. He wanted to improve on the designs of Lunarsteel weapons but the things he created frightened the Moonshadow masters so much that they cast him out and burned all copies of his work, fearing what might happen should such weapons be unleashed upon the world. Yet another thing he is no doubt bitter about. These are some of the designs that survived the purging of his work. Take them to your uncle Tinker and he will no doubt be able to replicate them so long as he gets his hands on some Lunarsteel. But dont stop at the weapons, keep reading."

Rayla did as she was bid and saw spells, runes, and various other things related to Moon magic. "Why are you showing me all this? I'm a fighter, not a mage." She pointed out as she skimmed over the various spells. While she would be taught a few spells before her training was done they would be mostly used for concealment and require the aid of others to properly cast.

"Even an assassin can find a use for moon magic. Using a glamor to conceal your true self, creating illusions to act as distractions, and various other magical spells could help an assassin reach their target." Sovaraa explained. "Even after all these years, I'm surprised combat spells aren't a part of the Assassin curriculum."

Rayla didn't agree. "Drawing runes in the middle of a swordfight or when trying to stay hidden can get an assassin killed. Magic is many things, but subtle isn't one of them. It glows, sparks, and reveals your location."

"Turn to page seventeen and you will see that it's not true. True masters of magic in ancient times used special markings to cast spells without the need to drawn runes in the air, circumventing one of spellcasting greatest weaknesses." Sovaraa explained as Rayla followed her instructions and turned tot he page in question. "Some magic users use staffs, or other artifacts imbued with magic and engraved with runes to bypass the need for etching runes but those are crude methods at best. The solution in that book is far more….graceful. He will teach the boy how to use it so I only think it's fair I teach you the art."

Graceful wasn't the word Rayla would have used to describe what she was reading. "Blood writing?" She asked, not quite understand what she was reading. Magic had never been her strong suit, flipping through trees and wielding blades had always been more her speed overall this academic stuff.

"Indeed, once you take part in that you will be able to cast spells without the need to draw runes. Perfect for an assassin who needs both hands to fight."

This whole conversation was making Rayla suspicious of what the woman was trying to accomplish. "Why are you helping me become a better assassin?" She asked, not trusting any of this. "You've been trying to do everything in your power to make me stop being an assassin. So why give me the tools to be a better one?"

"Because regardless of what happens there is a point of convergence that will result in you becoming an assassin. You will do it to preserve your family's honor after...well that's best left unsaid." Sovaraa explained. "The very least I can do is make sure you're prepared for what is coming. The world...it will turn into a dark place. The leaders of Xadia and the Human Pentarchy are preparing for a war that will change the face of this world. The choices they will make will have unforeseen consequences that both sides will come to regret. The trials you and your future companions will face will be hard, and you will need all the help you can get."

Even more riddles and vague statements. "What's going to happen Sovaraa?" Rayla asked seriously, wanting a true answer. "My uncle says that the Startouch elves have foreseen war, but the war you seem to be seeing is far worse then what they seem to think will happen."

"That's because they only see numerous small pictures, unaware that they form a greater one." Sovaraa looked up at the night sky above them and Rayla followed her gaze. The stars were beautiful and bright tonight, brighter then she had ever seen them before. "It's like they are seeing the stars reflected on the surface of a lake and mistaking that lake for the entire night sky. In several years they will summon me and ask me questions they already know the answers to. When I give them the truth they will complain of its taste and slip ever deeper into denial because the truth is far too painful to face."

"What truth are you talking about?" The tone Sovaraa had taken was melancholy but also dark. It made Rayla uneasy.

"The simple truth that they so blinded by pride and tradition that they cannot see the fall that is ahead of them. They believe that ideological purity and eleven supremacy will ensure a prosperous future for Xadia, but all they have done is draw us ever closer to the ever-hungering darkness."

Rayla was unconvinced. "How do you know all this? Your eyes and ability to see the future cant-"

"-I do not need to rely on divination to see the truth in this matter. I speak from knowledge and experience. I have journeyed through the darkness between the most distant stars. I have gazed into the heart of darkness that was once a servant alongside the other seven before its nature turned corrupt. I have beheld the rise and fall of civilizations and witnessed the entropy of reality itself. With my experience from walking this world for so many thousands of years, I have come to realize that the Xadia that our people have built is nothing more then a fleeting dream." Sovaraa's eyeless gaze fell upon Rayla and she felt as if the woman was staring into her very soul. "A dream from which our people will soon awaken. Only to find ourselves drowned in a greater nightmare."

* * *

"You should wave."

"I dont want to," Callum grumbled as he tried his best to ignore his teacher's constant specter as the Startouch elf's spirit walked alongside him.

"You should, you saved them all. Show them your handsome face, give them a chance to gaze upon their savior." Aaravos put forward grandly. "You should get used to it now. When I return to this world far greater crowds will gather to see us both. Show the people of Evenere your face, someday they will tell their children and grandchildren about being able to see Prince Callum of Katolis when he was a child prodigy and savior of Evenere."

He refused to show the people a lie. Even now he wore a dark green cloak and hood over his regular clothes to hide his features. "No." Callum put forward with finality as he walked towards the royal barge which was docked in the Green harbors waters. He was leaving this city after almost a year of being stuck in it. The last case plague had been over a month ago, since then the rats had been cleared up and the people of Evenere were once again able to freely go about their business as the blockade around the city was lifted. Life had returned to the city almost overnight as people from mainland Evenere flooded into the city to take up the jobs, and buy up the housing that had been freed after so many in the city had died.

As he walked to the docks with his teacher alongside him it was almost as if the plague had never happened. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

"You okay Callum?" the familiar voice of Claudia asked, he turned to see Claudia and Soren walk up alongside him. Behind them, numerous sailors, soldiers, and various other people carried all of their belongings to the docks as they prepared to leave Evenere for Del Bar. "It's not like you to talk to yourself so I was getting worried."

Callum cursed himself for talking to his teacher in public. "Just psyching myself up for the journey ahead. I'm looking forward to seeing this ship everyone is talking about." The Queen had made him a ship as thanks for his curing the plague. He hadn't seen it yet since it had been recently finished but Villads had inspected it and gotten it seaworthy. He claimed it was the finest vessel in the world, on par with the best ships in Evenere's navy.

"Same here, although I'm not exactly thrilled to be going to Del Bar..." Claudia muttered sadly. "It's not exactly a civilized place. It snows even during the summer and the people are..."

"Awesome!" Soren put forward happily. The older boy was wearing the armor that Callum had bought for him making his already imposing form even more stalwart. "A Kingdom of warriors, it is in Del Bar where I shall make my reputation. I will defeat the mightiest of the Del Barian berserkers in duels and cement my reputation as Soren the Stalwart, Soren the Strong, Soren the Steadfast, Soren the….some other awesome words that start with S….Soren the Sexy! There we go."

Claudia groaned in embarrassment at her brother's antics. "Callum's going to have to buy you a bigger helmet to fit that fat head of yours."

"Dont think even I could afford the materials for a helmet that big." Callum continued on his way, lines of Evenereian soldiers walked alongside him in a great line to keep the crowds away. Even nearing the docks the crowds were thick. People were waving, cheering, and some even threw flowers in his path. It made him want to die of embarrassment. He had wanted to ride in a litter or carriage but Queen Fareeda had forbidden it since she wanted her people to be able to show their appreciation for what he had done.

They didn't know that he had help in the form of a certain elf who had taught him everything he knew. It made him feel like a fraud and with each praise that was shouted at him, he felt more and more ashamed as he tightened the cloak around him in hopes it would hide him from the world.

"Hail the Prince!"

"Thank you, you saved my grandparents!"

"Its the son of the Leviathan!"

"Blessings of Sky and Ocean upon you!"

"All hail the Prince of the sea!"

"Would you like to meet my daughter?! She could be your princess!"

He picked up his pace and he noticed Soren, Claudia, and even Corvus came up to take up flanking positions around him to shield him from the crowds which Callum as thankful for. It helped block out the crowds, although he could still hear their cheers.

The going was slow on foot and because of the massive baggage train behind them that carried all of their earthly goods that would be stored in their new ships hold. There were ten horse-drawn carts filled to the brim with treasures from Evenere, Villads had claimed that the new ships could hold a hundred such carts of goods.

As they finally approached the docks and the barges that would take them out to his new ship they were stopped by a woman surrounded by a dozen armed soldiers. It was a woman Callum was very familiar with and he knew would try to stop him one last time before he departed.

"Hello, Lady Opeli." Callum greeted in the proper courtly manner. "What brings you here on this fine day?"

"Oh cut the crap Prince Callum," Opeli stated, almost making Callum gasp at her lack of decorum. "We both know why I'm here. Your father the King wants you back in Katolis where you belong." She held up a letter sealed in red, the seal of King Harrow that only the King of katolis could use. "By order of the King, you are to return to the _Sweet Sarai_ immediately so that we can return home."

"The suspense is terrible, I hope it'll last." Aaravos chimed in unhelpfully as usual which made Callum want the elf to fade into the background.

Callum had to resist sighing. He had sent letters to his step-father and received quite a few in return. None of them openly hostile but Harrow had made it clear that he wanted him back home. Callum had almost run out of ways to politely decline, he had almost given in when he had received several letters written in Ezrans childish handwriting. His brother wanted him back home, it almost made Callum give in but he couldn't turn back now. So he settled for sending a large number of letters to his brother along with hiring a trading ship to deliver a large number of gifts back to katolis castle. he hoped it would be enough for his brother to forgive him for being away for so long.

"I'm afraid that's not possible," Callum replied, trying his best to ignore the death-glare Opeli was sending his way. "I've already sent a crow message to King Florian of Del Bar informing him of my intentions to visit his fair Kingdom." Callum had to resist smiling as he saw the look of dread that appeared on Opeli's face. "He was ecstatic to hear of my impending visit to Del bar and offered me and my companions his hospitality. So if I were to suddenly decide to go back home and decline his kind offer it would look as if I was offering offense to his gracious offer to host me."

"You had no right contacting the King of another kingdom without your father's approval." Opeli put forward, her anger was barely restrained. "Such diplomacy is to be handled by a noble who can properly negotiate with another kingdom, not a...a..."

"Commoner like me? Cant have the up jumped peasant boy rubbing shoulders with nobility right?" Callum offered which made Opeli wince. "Look I'm going to Del Bar and there really isn't anything you can do to stop me. You have a dozen men right now, even if you gathered all the crew from the _Sweet Sarai_ you might have a hundred. Well, Villads has hired a crew of over two hundred, most of them fighters. Behind me, I have over fifty soldiers all of them sworn in service to me, not you or the Katolian crown." Callum gestured to the men and woman who had been following him and guarding his baggage train.

The men and women behind him were all sailors but also proven soldiers, Villads claimed he knew all the best men and women to hire in the city. They were also well-equipped, all of them were outfitted in the finest leather armor available much like the Evenerian guards that protected the city. They also carried the best steel weapons money could buy with arms of various types ranging from cleavers, Evenere sabers, daggers, tridents, spears, and even ranged weapons like crossbows. Callum had spared no expense in outfitting his ship's guards and crew in the best available. He had more then enough money thanks to his cure also working on common illnesses like cases of flu, colds, brain fevers, and various other illnesses. The College of enchanters had trouble making enough to keep up with demand and Callum made a cut of each vial of cure sold, solving his money problems overnight. With the equipment, he had bought for the soldiers and sailors under his command along with the generous pay they were receiving he knew he could count on them in a fight.

Opeli wasn't fazed and turned to Soren and Corvus. "What about you two? Are you just going to disobey your King and allow the Prince to galavant around the world?"

"We were ordered to protect the prince on his journey." Corvus put forward dutifully. "As his sworn shields we go where he goes, we are obeying our Kings command."

Soren nodded. "Corvus is right, we are his protectors, not his caretakers. You're the one the King ordered to take care of him so...yeah that's on you. We did our job, you're the one failing at yours ya killjoy."

"Watch your tongue boy," Opeli replied with barely restrained anger. "You forget that you are only a soldier in service to Katolis, it doesn't matter who your daddy is."

That made Claudia step forward. "Dont act so high and mighty Lady Opeli. You're a minor noble who rose to prominence on the King council because you were a childhood friend of King Harrow, the same as our dad. As far as rank goes your barely a step above any of us."

Callum stepped forward, wanting to put an end to this before things got worse. "Look Lady Opeli, I'm leaving this place for Del Bar. You can either get out of the way or I can make you get out of the way. I suggest we do this the easy way, people are watching and already they wonder what's going on. Open conflict like this among us will make Katolis look bad."

The crowds were smaller here but they were still present, the cheering had stopped as people watched the exchange between the two parties. Callum knew he had won when he saw the look on Opeli's face when she realized what a spectacle she was making of all of them.

"Fine." Opeli huffed angrily, accepting defeat. "Go to Del Bar and do whatever it is you're planning on doing. But dont blame me when you return home to an angry King."

Callum liked being a prince but he didn't like being ordered around. Now that he was here in Evenere he had gotten a taste for independence and he rather liked it. He would return to Katolis when he damn well pleased. "I will return to Katolis triumphantly, having toured all kingdoms and improving diplomatic relations with them all. Just like I did here. King Harrow, will thank me when I return home." Callum put forward happily. While he didn't know the details he did know that Queen Fareeda had been in meetings with Opeli once the plague had passed. Meetings that involved strengthening the bonds between katolis and Evenere with better trade and cooperation when it came to guarding the border. He had heard that Queen Fareeda was sending one of her fleets to Katolis to help with guarding the ocean border of Xadia by reinforcing the Katolian navy.

"For your sake, I hope you're right." With that said Opeli left, her guards trailing after her. Callum watched her leave, a relief washing over him. With her gone, he was the highest-ranked member of this delegation, which was both nice and terrifying. While he could travel at his own pace and do things he wanted to do he would also have to take center stage during any courtly ceremony involving the other monarchs.

Callum shook those thoughts from his head as he ordered the barges loaded with all the baggage from the carts. He stood by the docks and watched as men and women loaded up all his belongings and the belongings of his companions. He saw men loading up crates of goods that would be gifted to the monarchs he would visit, his clothes, his magical reagents and other equipment, his paintings, and finally chest after chest of gold. He had quite a bit not just from the sales of the cure but also as a down payment for a few of his teacher's inventions that he had revealed to the College of Enchanters.

Despite his teacher's claims of not needing credit Callum intended to pay the elf back tenfold when he managed to get his teacher a body. He also made quite a bit of money from painting portraits for the influential people in the city while he had been waiting for the quarantine to be lifted. He had painted the portraits for numerous nobles, the royal family, and every single influential courtesan in the city. The latter had been a wonderful experience for Callum in terms of artistic challenge. Each Courtesan had worn their finest clothes and jewelry and it had been a fun challenge capturing such beauty onto a canvas. The only one he hadn't painted was the veiled lady who had disappeared shortly before the plague hit and hadn't yet returned to the city.

Soon the barges were loaded and Callum got on the royal barge that had once taken him into this city, not it would be taking him out. As the barge sailed with the men and supplies needed for the journey Callum walked towards the front and leaned on the railing, allowing himself a momentary respite as he sailed into the bay and towards the ship that was now his own.

It came into view after a few minutes, it was large, so large it hadn't been able to enter the shallower waters of the harbor. It was a massive four-mast galleon. Its hull painted black like all Evenere vessels, yet instead of green sails, the sails were red and gold the traditional Katolian colors. The vessel currently had a crew of little over a two hundred but Villads claimed it could fit a crew of four hundred, and would indeed need such a crew it was used as a warship. Currently, it only had a few scorpions and Evenere flamethrowers as ship-mounted weapons.

Yet what drew Callums attention most was the ship's figurehead which was a massive Kraken, its tentacles outstretched forward as if trying to grasp an enemy vessel in front of the ship. He had left the naming of the ship and figurehead in the hands of Villads since he would be captaining the vessel, a choice Callum came to regret when he learned what the one-eyed man had decided to name the ship.

_The Leviathan Prince_

It made him cringe internally, it was so embarrassing to sail a ship with that name. He had hoped rumors about the battle might dissipate but people were still claiming that he could shapeshift into a Kraken. Callum couldn't help but feel awkward and his explanations only ever muddied the waters, even more, causing even more outrageous rumors to spread. All he could hope was that the rumors dissipated once he reached Del Bar. He had asked Villads to change the name but the man claimed to change a ship's name was bad luck, and the one-eyed man claimed he would refuse to sail on an unlucky ship. So the name stuck.

He ignored his feelings of embarrassment and simply took in the fact that the massive ship before him was his. Not King Harrows, or anyone else's but his. If he wanted to he could sail around the world, seek out new continents, do anything he wanted. He owned something that gave him freedom.

It was a frightening prospect. One that Callum choose to ignore so he instead chose to focus on getting onto his ship. It took several minutes to get on board, the ship was so enormous he had to be hoisted up since the gangplank would work due to the barges height. Once onboard Callum and his friends found themselves face to face with a very familiar one-eyed captain.

"Greetings yer grace!" Villads enthusiastically stated with an exaggerated bow. The man's dress had always been rather flamboyant but since becoming a captain his dress had grown even more flamboyant. The man's cloak was green and seastained but everything else was brand new. He wore silks of various colors, the button of his coat was carved jade, and his hat was large with an enormous brim decorated with peacock feathers. He looked like a pirate king on his way to royal dance.

"Thanks, Captain, hows the ship?" Callum asked, not sure what else to say.

"She be marvelous!" Villads declared. "Let me give ye a tour while me men-I mean your men load up the valuables."

Callum, Soren, Claudia, and Corvus were led through the ship on a grand tour. It was mostly what Callum was expecting, everything was brand new and made up of the latest in shipbuilding technology. The crew deck had plenty of space, the weapons were impressive, and the rooms for him and his companions were extremely generous in size.

He also met a great deal of the crew, all of whom were experienced, sailors and soldiers. Many were Evenerians looking for a new life away from Evenere, others wanted the job for the generous pay so that they could send the proceeds back to their families who were rebuilding their lives after the plague had affected them in some way. In fact, most of the crew stopped to thank him, often bowing deeply or doing some other grand gesture. It didn't make sense until Villads explained.

"Almost all the crew be having family that had the plague, yer cure saved em." Villads explained. "I looked fer people like that. People that have a reason to respect ye and want to follow ye for reasons other then coin. Genuine loyalty is hard to create on a crew that be hired like this but I did me best. This crew will follow ye to hell and back."

That made Callum feel much more at ease and explain why so many of the crew seemed so friendly. Aside from the crew, the ship's first mate under Villads was Lizzie Strider, with her twin brother Jack being the ship's quartermaster.

After the tour Callum found himself standing on the front of the ship near the figurehead as Villads ordered the sailors to get ready to sail since the last of the baggage had been loaded.

An hour later Callum was sailing from Evenere the city nothing more a blip in the distance as he leaned against the front of the ship. The wind was strong and they were making good time, Del Bar was fairly close to Evenere so the trip would only take a few weeks at most.

"After almost a year we are finally leaving." Callum took a deep breath, taking in the scents of Evenere. He smelled tar, salt water, and smoked fish. He had smelt them so long he had almost forgotten the scent of home. Katolis had smelled like earth, flowers, fresh rain, and baking bread.

"Will you miss it?" Aaravos spoke up, now that they were alone they could actually talk.

"Sort of...maybe...I dont know I've been here so long and I cant say my trip was entirely pleasant." He had enjoyed the first few months but after the plague hit things had gone sour. In truth, he was glad to leave the city behind, in all the chaos they hadn't even gotten to travel on mainland Evenere. All they saw of the island nation was a single city.

Aaravos chuckled. "Ah yes I suppose hanging out in a city of sailors, fishmongers, and other strange lunatics would get old. So tell me about our next destination, I want to know about this Del Bar. Please tell me its more civilized then this place."

"Well..." Callum hadn't ever been to Del Bar but he had heard plenty of stories, very few of them flattering. Still, the place might surprise him, Evenere had. If one ignored the horrible plague the trip in the city had been as pleasant as it was alien. "Del Bar is famous for its weapons, cold weather, hunting, mountain ranges, and the strength of its people. Soren claims he's strong because of his Del Barian mother, and it's hard to discount that. He's built like a bull and he's only half Del Barian."

"A kingdom of snow-covered and heavily armed barbarians...wonderful," Aaravos grumbled, his tone showing he was annoyed. "I miss the old world as flawed as it was...I hope Xadia is better at least."

"Never been there so I wouldn't know." Callum was curious about what Xadia was like. His teacher spoke of ancient forests, long-forgotten temples, rivers that flowed uphill, forests of golden flowers, and even floating islands. All seemed far too amazing to ever exist but his teacher swore they did, and Startouch elves never lied.

"I will take you one day," Aaravos promised. "We can both see what has become of it. When I get a new body the first thing I'm going to do is get some delicious Xadian cuisine. I miss eating...you can join me as well. We can do a culinary tour of Xadia. You haven't lived until you've eaten Earthblood Burritos or Ocean elf sushi."

"You could try some human food." Callum offered. "If you take me on a culinary tour of Xadia Ill take you on a culinary tour of the Pentarchy. You are missing out on some great stuff."

Aaravos made a dramatic gagging sound. "I've seen your food and I'm not impressed with your Katolian turnip stew with bread, or Evenerian deep-fried frogs, and there's the fact that you humans dip everything in ranch dressing blah..."

"You haven't even tried Katolian ranch dressing, dont judge." How could someone be so dismissive of food he hadn't even tasted?

Aaravos rolled his eyes. "Even I know salad dressing isn't supposed to have the consistency of ketchup. That stuff is dipping sauce marketed as dressing." Aaravos pointed out. "Not to mention those disgusting things, the sandwiches with meat and ketchup on them."

"Are you talking about hamburgers? Those are awesome!" Callum couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You just dont know because you cant taste anything. Besides they're good for you."

"Good for you?" Aaravos asked, disbelief evident in his voice. "Those things are a heart attack on a bun!"

"I meant good for your soul."

"I'm nothing but soul and I'm pretty sure they would somehow give me soul obesity," Aaravos grumbled. "And dont even get me started on your baked goods. Like those horrible mini-cupcakes."

Now, this was getting ridiculous. "What's your problem with mini-cupcakes? They're adorable and frilly, the nobility of Katolis always eats them during fancy banquets." It was about the only thing about fancy parties that Callum liked in katolis. Back when he first became a prince he had eaten dozens of them during his mother's coronation feast and had vomited all over Lord Virens fancy new robes. The best part was that Viren had been forced to swallow his anger for fear of offending the new Queen and her son. _'That was a good day.'_ Callum thought as he allowed himself to remember that feast.

Aaravos clearly didn't share Callum's enthusiasm for the small dessert. "Mini-cupcakes are miniature versions of regular cupcakes, which are already a miniature version of cake. Honestly, where does it end with you humans?"

"You could complain about anything." Callum couldn't help but smile, the elf's sour disposition was annoying but also amusing. "Is there anything in the Pentarchy you actually enjoy?"

Aaravos smiled. "Your illustrious companionship and the hilarious spectacle that is your day-to-day life." The elf pointed out happily, much to Callum's annoyance. "But we haven't seen the entire Pentarchy so I won't claim to dislike all of it. Del Bar as unappealing as it sounds might be strong in primal energy, we could knock out both the sky and earth primal's while we're there."

That piqued Callum's interest a great deal. "Both sky and earth? Sky I can understand since Del Bar has the highest mountains on this side of the continent but the earth primal as well?" It seemed almost too good to be true.

"Del Bar is known for valuable metals right?" Callum nodded, it's why Del Bar was famed for its weapons which were made from the large mineral wealth of the kingdom. "That means it's strong in the earth, especially if we can get into one of those mountains, a cave network would be wonderous. Surrounded by all that strong earth….I think we will manage it well enough."

"Two more primal sources..." Callum already felt so strong with the ocean primal. Ever since he had connected to it he had felt stronger, more confident, tireless. He could only imagine what the others would do for him. He would become powerful enough to protect Ezran and all of Katolis from any threat. "How long will it take for me to master them? The ocean was hard but pretty instantaneous."

"That's because you were reckless and careless with the key I gave you." Aaravos pointed out sternly. "You probably would have died if not for your mother's spirit helping you and the Leviathans taking an interest in you. Dumb luck will only get you so far. There will be meditation, contemplation, and various other mental exercises before you attempt to connect to a primal source. Ideally, I want you to connect to them without using the key but we will see how well you do."

The idea of meditation and contemplation didn't sound appealing to Callum at all but he knew better then to complain to his teacher about things relating to his training. "As you say, we will try it your way. For now, though all I want is some shut-eye, feels like forever since I just sat down." He yawned for added effect as he bid his teacher farewell. The day was young but he had been up before dawn making sure all preparations to leave were ready and going through the ceremonial departure from the palace with Queen Fareeda wishing him well in a courtly ritual.

Callum traveled to his cabin, a large room that fit all of his belongings. There was a large bed, hammocks for when the ship rocked too hard for the bed to be comfortable, a privy, a large space for his paintings, a small library, and even a large copper tub for bathing. It truly was built for a prince.

He quickly stripped down to his smallclothes and plopped down onto his bed, enjoying the feel of the silk sheets. He closed his eyes and thought about all the wonders of Del Bar and the types of spells Aaravos would teach him once he tapped into more primal sources. Yet as he lay on his bed with his eyes closed he suddenly felt terribly cold as if the air around him had frozen.

**"The Star's sweep chill currents that make men shiver in the dark..."**

Callum opened his eyes and looked around the room only to see nothing, the air had grown warm once more. He recognized the Leviathans voice, and the words the creature had spoken. The creature had said those words once before, well over half a year ago. Why was hearing them now?

Callum let out a tired sigh as he felt his pounding heart slowly calm itself down and resume its normal beating.

"I dont think I'm getting any sleep tonight..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I won't be updating until Season 3 premieres. I want to see what the creators have in store for us before continuing. Also, I could use a break from writing, get some fresh inspiration. The only reason I got this chapter out was that I've been watching a lot of good stuff lately, gives me plenty of creative inspiration to work with.
> 
> Some people ask me why I'm making the world of the Dragon prince so dark and edgy with all this doom and prophecy stuff. The answer is simple...I'm an edgelord, also I'm making the characters far more powerful then in the show. Callum and Rayla in particular, that mean's they need stronger enemies and a darker world for this story to have any sort of conflict. A better writer might be able to have a story like this without making the world darker but I'm not that person.
> 
> And yes those blueprints Rayla received from Sovaraa had the Assassins creed hidden blades in them, complete with a grappling hook and various other things. Callum isn't the only one getting new stuff, Rayla is as well. I found it odd that trained Moonshadow assassins couldn't really do any sort of moon magic, glamor magic, so this story has her learning a bit of it. Although Rayla will be foremost a physical combatant.
> 
> Also, those lines of dialogue that Rayla heard when she was holding the primal stone are visions into the future of this story. They describe scenes I have planned, however, those scenes might happen or might not happen. I've changed course in this story numerous times. The future is ever in motion so the things Rayla heard might come to pass or they might not. Heck, this story is really different from what I originally planned when I first started writing.
> 
> Also, I want to clarify something. I'm playing fast and loose with the timeline. The creators released the official timeline after I posted my story so it doesn't make much sense compared to canon. Just kind of ignore it and have fun. That's why characters use terms like 'Over a thousand years ago.' They are being vague because I dont want to worry about timeline details. Also a little fact I need to clarify is the Fall of Elarion the city. Elarion the city endured after Elarion the woman fell, its sort of like Rome where real-life historians debate about when Rome truly fell. Aaravos and Sovaraa consider the city to have 'Fallen' after Elarion herself fell due to the city losing its soul and leadership, it became a shell of its former self, barely worth considering. Yet it did endure for some time after she fell in battle.  
> Fun little fact- The machine Aaravos created as a child is an Aeolipile. The earliest example we have of a steam-powered turbine. It was created in ancient Greece as a curiosity. Yet most of the schematic and knowledge about it was lost during the burning of the library of Alexandria. If the knowledge hadn't been lost the steam engine might have arisen far earlier in human history.
> 
> I really appreciate the feedback I've been getting from you guys. I'm not a professional writer so it is good to know I'm doing some stuff right with this story. Also, I'm considering getting a beta, I need someone who is good with grammar, who can fix my terrible grammar mistakes. I never took a real English class in my life so I'm completely self-taught which makes my writing kind of sloppy in some places.
> 
> That's all for now, please leave a review, comment, kudos, and like, fav, or follow. Do all that good stuff. Also, dont be shy to ask questions, I enjoy answering them. I also consider all suggestions, just dont expect me to use them.


	14. Chapter 14

I do not own the Dragon prince

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"So this is Del Bar?" Callum asked as he gazed out across the fog-covered sea as the Leviathan Prince sailed through the ice-filled waters at a snail's pace. In the distance, he saw the peaks of large mountains, barely visible over the fog. It had been a little over a month since they had departed Evenere and the sailing had been slow and cautious due to the icy waters that lurked between Evenere and Del Bar. Numerous other obstacles had also slowed their journey such as unfavorable winds, a storm, and generally rough oceans being a huge obstacle for a massive ship to deal with. Yet now they were finally here.

"It looks miserable," Claudia muttered as she walked up alongside him. "Everywhere else in the Pentarchy spring is subsiding and summer is coming but here it looks like it's still winter."

"Don't be so sad!" Villads called out from the ship's helm. "Spring will be starting here, with summer following, then those greys will really pop!" The man let out a hearty laugh that no one else on deck shared.

"Wonderful…" Claudia and Callum muttered simultaneously.

"So this is my mother's homeland," Soren muttered. "I was hoping for more...something."

Callum couldn't help but agree, the fog was thick and the air cold. Villads claimed that they would soon be arriving in a place called Serpents Rest, a port town where they were expected by King Florian who promised to have transportation ready for Callum and his company to go inland to the capital of Del Bar, a city called Winterhold.

"How long until we make port?" Callum asked, wanting to back onto dry land as quickly as possible. Despite being connected to the ocean through the ocean arcanum he found traveling over the ocean a less than pleasant experience due to the cramped quarters and various other unpleasant parts of sea travel.

He saw Villads peer at the fog before them, the man's one eye seemingly taking in all the details. "The ice is thick and visibility is low. I would say a few hours at least. The Leviathan Prince be strong enough to crush through the ice but I prefer to steer clear."

"Fine…" Not the answer Callum hoped for but he didn't want his new ship damaged on his first journey. "Make it so captain."

"Aye your Grace," Villads replied as he went about ordering the sailors to make ready for the port which caused the deck to erupt in organized chaos as men and women went to and fro working on getting the ship ready for port.

"You boys can hang out here if you want," Claudia muttered as she let out a deep sigh, her breath fogging up in front of her. Callum saw that she was wearing her regular witch-like black clothes but had also wrapped herself in a large black fur cloak to stave off Del bar's frigid weather. "I'm going to go drink some of my morning brown potions to warm up. Probably also pack a whole bunch of it for the trip through this frozen wasteland.."

Soren shook his head at his sister's lack of enthusiasm. "You need to embrace our Del Barian heritage Claud's. We might be from Katolis but we are also children of winter. This is our heritage, half our ancestry is here." The crown guard declared proudly.

Claudia snorted as she turned away and began to walk towards the door that would lead below deck to the cabins. "I prefer the civilized part of my heritage, the part that involves a warmer climate. Face it, Soren, Del Bar is basically a collection of howling barbarians half-buried in snow."

Callum waited for Claudia to disappear below deck before turning to his sworn shield. "I'm not sure which is more cheerful, her or this weather." he gestured towards the grey sky and fog that surrounded them

"The closer we've gotten to Del Bar the worse her attitude has gotten. I think the idea of seeing our mother is stressing her out." Soren pointed out. "Claudia used to be so close to mom, as close as she is to dad now...I dont think she's ever forgiven our mother for making us choose between her and dad…"

Callum wasn't sure how to respond to that, he didn't want to get involved in another family's personal affairs. He couldn't claim to have truly known Soren and Claudia's mom. Astrid of Del Bar rarely appeared in court even when she and Lord Viren's marriage had been somewhat happy, he remembered her long blonde hair and her green eyes. She had also been tall and strong, often sparring with his own mother in the castle courtyard.

"Well...maybe things will turn out better once we actually get to Del Bar. If anything Claudia can just choose to not see your mother." He offered weakly, not sure what else to say.

"Not really an option." Soren shook his head. "Our mother is the leader of the Einherjar."

"Einherwhat?" Callum asked, the word sounding strange and foreign on his lips. "What the heck is an Einherjermerber...whatever that word is?"

Soren shook his head in apparent exasperation. "The Einherjar is an order of warriors dedicated to protecting the royal family of Del Bar. The word Einherjar is ancient Del Barian, the old tongue before the people of Del Bar took up the common tongue back when they still wrote everything using runes." Soren explained. "It roughly translates to "army of one" because each member of the order is an army of one. They have to be the fastest, strongest, and bravest among their peers. A difficult feat considering that Del Bar is filled with some of the fiercest warriors in all the Pentarchy. My mother is the leader of the order."

Callum frowned as he realized what Soren was saying. "Which means that we will certainly see her when we visit King Florian…" He had to resist throwing something, why couldn't anything on this journey be easy? Suddenly something else occurred to Callum, making him almost forget about the potential storm of Claudia and her mother meeting. "How do you know this much about Del Barian history and language? You've failed every history class you've ever taken back in Katolis."

Soren crossed his arms. "That's because Katolian history is all about stupid stuff like lineages and dynastic battles. The only cool history is about the Orphan Queen and her knights founding Katolis, everything after that is a snoozefest. Del Barian history is all about fighting, sea serpents, and kicking a million kinds of ass."

"At least you have your priorities straight." Callum shook his head at his bodyguard's antics. "I'm going to follow Claudia's example and get ready, without Opeli here the duty of buttering up the nobility and dealing with protocol falls upon me." He never thought he would miss the High Cleric but here he was missing her. He bid goodbye to Soren and walked away from the front of the ship, dodging his way around sailors rushing to and fro as they made the ship ready for port.

Eventually, after traveling through numerous decks he finally made it to his private chambers. He felt slightly guilty having his own room when the average sailor only had a hammock in a shared berth or the room that Soren and Corvus shared but he was technically a prince and he needed the privacy for his magic. The only other person who had a private chamber was Claudia's and hers were tiny compared to his.

He opened the door to his room and found his teacher in his painted body going through numerous chests that were stacked up against the wall of the cabin. "Why are you snooping around in King Florian's gifts?"

Aaravos didn't even bother to look up as he answered. "Just seeing what you humans consider gifts in this era. If someone offered me this paltry offering I would banish them to the shadow realm for their insolence. Why are you giving him so much wine and silk?"

Callum let out a sigh as he walked up alongside his teacher who was still digging through the chests of offerings he had prepared. "Offering precious metals and crafts isn't going to score me any points in Del Bar. They are already rich in precious minerals and can craft better arms and jewelry than I could offer. But things like silks and fine wines are items they cant get easily. These chests are filled with the best fabrics, and alchohol in all the Pentarchy." He had spared no expense in buying the very best stuff in Evenere. Thankfully Evenere was one of the biggest ports in all the kingdoms so it was easy to buy plenty of trinkets, Neolandian silks, and Durenese delicacies before he departed.

Aaravos shook his head. "I swear this is equally as bad as that other pile of crap you have in this cabin, the junk the people of Evenere gifted you with." The elf gestured to the far corner of the room where there was another collection of chests and creates.

Once again Callum found himself thankful his cabin was so big, otherwise, he would be buried in all the chests and crates of stuff he had. He technically should have left it all in the hold of the ship but in truth, he hadn't had a chance to go through the stuff that the people of Evenere had gifted him with and on a voyage like this he had plenty of time to kill so he had settled for sorting through his new belongings.

"Not all of it was garbage...Pierro gifted me with that primal stone." One of the many gifts he had received from Evenere had been a sun primal stone from the court mage Pierro. The man had lost his arm in the battle near the sunken temple and had promptly retired from his position as Queen Fareeda's court mage. Callum was excited to learn how to do sun magic with his new stone, sadly a wooden ship wasn't the best place to learn fire spells so he had to wait until they were safely on land.

Aaravos scoffed. "They should have rained primal stones upon you for what you did. You should have been showered with magical artifacts and other valuables. If it had been me I would have demanded jewels as big as my head, golden oils, horn balm, and a bunch of other stuff you're too young to hear about."

"Horn balm?" Callum had never heard of such a thing. "What the heck is horn balm?"

"You rub it on your horns to make them shine and not itch," Aaravos explained. "An elf needs to take good care of their horns. As you can see from my amazing rack I took good care of my horns in life." The elf pointed at the horns that adorned his head. "The only ones who could approach horned beauty like mine are female Earthblood elves. That's how amazing my ack is."

Callum had to resist laughing. "You might want to avoid calling your horns a 'Rack' here in the Pentarchy that's slang for a woman's breasts." He had heard people in taverns use the term numerous times to describe 'gifted' women.

"You humans make no sense," Aaravos grumbled. "Calling something like a females breasts a rack, utterly ridiculous. Horns are racks and mine are the greatest of them all. See how big and wonderous they are? Both women and men alike would beg me to allow them to touch them. You know what they say about men with big horns right?"

"No." Callum had never heard anything about elven horns up until now. "What do they say about men with big horns?"

Aaravos seemed to grow uncomfortable. "I keep forgetting you're still so young...never mind what they say about horns. My original point is you should have asked for way better treasure then what the peoples gifted you with." he walked over to the gifts Callum had received and the elf picked up a piece of clothing. "How do your people wear these things?" Aaravos asked as he held up a cream doublet made out of Neolandian sandsilk. "Fashion in this era is so droll."

"Well, we cant all have cloaks and robes that sparkle like yours." Callum pointed towards the cloak that his teacher's form was always wearing both as a ghost and in his painted body. As he gazed at the piece of cloth a question suddenly popped into his mind. "How was your cloak able to sparkle like that? Did you just sprinkle glitter on it? It took me forever to recreate it with mere paint." It was one of the things that took so long whenever he painted his teacher.

"Glitter? That's a tool for children's art and cheap Xadian strippers." Aaravos replied in an offended tone. "The clothes I wear in my spirit form are merely a projection I create for the sake of decency. It's not like your soul is clothed after you die. But I did wear a cloak like this when I walked the world as a being of blood and flesh. It's simple enough to imbue cloth with primal energy, the cloak I wore in life was imbued with each primal source with the stars being the dominant one which is why it sparkles so beautifully much like myself. Each type of primal source can be used to imbue an object with power whether that object be cloth or metal."

"So I can make cool clothes that glow and do magic stuff?" Callum asked, imagining the implications of what his teacher was saying.

Aaravos nodded. "That's a bit of an oversimplification of the art but essentially yes. It would make these clothes far more tolerable." Aaravos tossed aside the sandsilk garment he had been holding and dug into another chest. "I swear you saved the city and this is the crap they gift you with? I wouldn't give my worst enemies these types of gifts."

"It's not all bad." Callum reached into one chest and pulled out a golden goblet decorated with rubies. "This is kind of cool." He held up the goblet for his teacher's inspection. " I used to dream of drinking out of a golden goblet when I was a child. Back when I lived in a crofters village all the dishware in my house was carved wood." It was nice that he no longer had to worry about getting splinters whenever he ate.

The elf let out an exasperated sigh "That thing is only useful if you wanted to be a ten-year-old pimp, you might as well get a big hat to complete the ensemble." Aaravos pointed out as he grabbed the goblet from Callums hands and tossed it aside into one of the chests.

Callum didn't understand what his teacher meant by 'pimp' it sounded like ancient elvish. "Whats a pimp? Is that some sort of elf?"

He saw his teacher seemed to grow uncomfortable. "It's a term we use in Xadia for people who-" Aaravos paused and adopted a look of genuine discomfort. "It's like a...I'll tell you when you're older…"

"You keep saying that but I'm almost eleven." Callum hated how his teacher treated him like a child when it was convenient and then went straight to having adult expectations for him. "I wish you would treat me like an adult all the time instead of when it's just convenient for you."

"That's the perk of being the teacher in a teacher/student relationship.." Aaravos pointed out smugly which only made Callum send a glare his teacher's way. "But rest assured there are perks to being the student. I have something to give you."

That made Callum perk up and cease his glaring. "You have a present for me?" His previous annoyance turning into excitement, whenever his teacher gave him anything it was always amazing.

Aaravos pointed towards a nearby wardrobe which made Callum's stomach fill with dread at the thought of more clothes. He already owned more clothes now then he had ever before and the idea of getting more made him cringe internally. But he decided to humor his teacher and walked over to the wardrobe and opened the door.

As the door opened his teacher spoke. "With your actions in Evenere and your mastering of the ocean primal, I felt it was time you began to look the part of a mage and were given tools that befit an apprentice of your skill."

Inside the wardrobe was a garment that embodied the very definition of mages robes. They were a copy of the clothes his teacher wore with only slight differences. The robes were black like his teachers but had blue highlights rather then purple. The outfit also had a midnight black cloak with gold embroidery with a star symbol on the hood.

It was a near-exact copy of his teacher's outfit with the only exception being the lack of glowing stars. The entire outfit made Callum feel uncomfortable. "Are you trying to turn me into a miniature version of yourself or something?" Callum asked as he grabbed the robes and held them in front of him. "That's kind of creepy…even for you."

Aaravos scoffed. "So ungrateful. I spent hours weaving that robe with my bare hands and spent even longer imbuing it with magic. Instead of complaining, you should be thanking me."

"Thanking you for what?" Callum asked as he held up the robes. "For trying to dress me like a mini-you? Why do mages have to dress in robes anyway? What if I have to run? I'll end up tripping all over myself."

"The only thing you could trip over is the cloak and that's only if you run like a complete ditz." Aaravos pointed out. "Also robes are a status symbol and signify power and rank. With clothes like these, all who gaze upon you will know you for what you truly are."

Callum wasn't convinced. "I never understood mage clothes. It's like some magic-user decided one day to wear pajamas to work and those pajamas became a mage uniform."

"And you say I have a negative outlook." Aaravos scolded before gesturing towards the wardrobe once more. "In Xadian culture, an apprentice is a reflection of their teacher and is expected to reflect that in their garb and equipment. Thus I made those robes for you as well as something else."

Callum watched as Aaravos walked over to a nearby closet and pulled something out of it. It was a long staff, slightly taller than Callum himself.

It was a staff which appeared to be carved from black wood. The wood had numerous runes carved into it, some he recognized but many he didn't. Most were ocean and sky spells all interwoven into a carved tapestry that stretched along the surface of the staff. The tip of the staff was topped off with what appeared to be an intricately designed spearhead made of golden metal, although upon closer examination Callum recognized it as the symbol for Star Magic.

"How did you make this?" Callum asked, not really believing what he was holding. His cabin wasn't exactly a workshop and he found it hard to believe his teacher managed to create something so beautiful without specialist equipment.

Aaravos shrugged. "I used the ironwood you bought to make the main body, I spent most of my free time carving it with a good knife. I used the sunstone you got from Evenere to melt some of the gold and Del Barian steel you had to make the tip of the staff."

Callum used his free hand to touch the tip of the staff and winced as a mere touch drew blood. He knew mages a staff generally had 'heads' where one would find a primal stone or some other magical artifact but this was the first time he had seen a staffs tip act like a spear.

"Does it have to be so sharp?" He asked as he looked at his newly pricked finger. "This thing is like a spear."

"That's the point," Aaravos responded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "A mage is generally vulnerable if an enemy gets in close, a staff that's capable of being a melee weapon is key to overcoming this weakness. Spear-staffs were once the official weapon of a group of elven battlemages who arose during the dawn of the elves. They would channel primal magic through a weapon such as this." Aaravos gestured to the staff. "That kind of power can overcome any enemy with a single strike even if they have armor protecting them. Heck with enough sun magic channeled into the tip you could vaporize people by stabbing them with the pointy end."

Callum looked at the weapon in his hands and gave it an experimental jab. The tip was sharp and looked like it could pierce armor. His mother had fought with a spear and had been the greatest warrior in all of Katolis. Yet Callum found himself hesitant to use a weapon like this, he had always failed as a warrior. Even his skills with the Evenere saber were lackluster. "I dont know about this, I'm more of a 'shoot lighting from my hands' sort of person. The whole fighting with a weapon thing is more Soren's deal…"

"Nonsense," Aaravos muttered dismissively. "Now you sound like an elf, self-defeating and all too ready to limit yourself."

"You're an elf!" Callum pointed out. "Are you some sort of self-hating elf? You always seem ready to put down your own people."

"I'm an exception to the rule." Aaravos retorted. "Elves are limiting, close-minded creatures, most are no different then those creatures you humans raise. The fluffy ones covered in that foofy fur."

Callum shook his head at his teacher's antics. "Those animals are called sheep, and that foofy fur as you call it is known as wool."

"Forget about the wool, my point is that I'm an exception to the rule. I was born a visionary far ahead of my time and far beyond the comprehension of any elf in Xadia. There was only a handful of people who saw my brilliance for what it was. I lived so many millennia in the dark until I was illuminated by a single soul who taught me to-look the point is that I'm incredible and you can be as well."

Callum knew by his teacher's tone that the elf was going to start praising himself again so he leaned against one of the walls of the cabin of the ship to make himself more comfortable. Based on past experience he knew this could take a while.

Aaravos did not disappoint. "Most elves will dedicate their lives to one profession and live out simple lives for their centuries-long lifespan. I, on the other hand, used my long life to become acquainted with everything. I was a farmer, a craftsman, an engineer, an arcanist, a musician, a doctor, heck my first job after leaving home was being apprenticed to a toymaker. I was even once a lawyer until the Xadian bar association disbarred me from practicing law in Xadia over allegations that were never proven in court. The point is that I have spent numerous millennia acquiring knowledge and skills from all walks of life and gained perspective few could ever hope to gain. I refused to limit myself, you must do the same." Aaravos finished grandly, his arms outstretched as if he were lecturing a crowd.

Callum gave him mock applause. 'Inspirational, I feel more motivated already.." He stopped his mock clapping to emphasize his next point. "Unfortunately you might have noticed that I'm not an elf. The lack of horns or pointed ears and the fact I have five fingers should have been obvious. I dont have centuries to learn a million different professions. I'm lucky if I get seven to eight decades of life even with a healthy diet and exercise, and those last few decades aren't the best for learning stuff even if I manage to avoid going senile by then." He recalled seeing people in their fifties already slipping into senility and having health problems. Especially those in small villages who couldn't afford help from a doctor.

Yet that fact didn't seem to faze his teacher. "With proper alchemy and medicine, I can lengthen a human's lifespan to up to one hundred and fifty years." Aaravos pointed out. "Heck I could probably even stretch a human's life even longer if we put ethics aside and a person is willing to accept certain...unique living conditions…"

Callum found himself both amazed and disturbed by his teacher's claims. "Wait...what the heck are you talking about? This sounds like creepy dark magic, like necromancy."

"Necromancy is a path that's open for those willing to walk it but I prefer using elixirs to rejuvenate organs and slow cell decay." Aaravos shrugged. "Look the point I was trying to make before you started throwing out words like necromancy and such is that you shouldn't limit yourself. You're my apprentice and I'm going to train you to be the best mage you can be. When you swore to obey me as your teacher you said you would be willing to rise up to any challenge I put forward. So are you going to rise up to this challenge or are you going to quit?"

Callum remembered the night he became his teacher's apprentice. He had a pretty good memory, Claudia claimed it was 'Eidetic' whatever that word meant. He recalled swearing to his teacher that he would be a good student and wouldn't quit.

Callum looked at the staff in his hands and let out a tired sigh as he reached his first real obstacle on his path towards being an archmage.

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Harrow sat on his throne as he listened to Opeli's detailed explanation of her journey to Evenere. Next to him his advisor Viren stood vigil along with the rest of his councilors and the Crownguard who were always present to protect his person.

Yet the person he was most concerned about was Ezran. His son had been distraught when he learned Callum wasn't returning with Opeli. The child almost had a full meltdown until Opeli had presented the boy with all the gifts Callum had sent back to his younger brother.

Harrow had raised Ezran in an austere way, the boy wanted for nothing yet he also made sure not to spoil his son. He had traveled the Kingdoms in his youth and saw how materialistic and spoiled most nobles and royal children were and what kind of people they grew up into. Which is why he made it a point to avoid spoiling Ezran with anything too lavish.

Yet it seemed Callum was trying to undo all of that in a single stroke.

One of the first things Opeli had done when arriving was to present numerous gifts that Callum had bought in Evenere for Ezran. To say they were lavish would have been an understatement. Callum had bought his younger brother every single toy and bauble imaginable. Everything from exotic board games to small toy soldiers carved from beautiful marble. Callum had also sent numerous 'exotic' pets from Evenere such as small lizards and talking parrots. Not to mention a Neolandian sand pony that was the perfect size for Ezran to start riding.

He had been half tempted to take the toys and pets away but Ezran had already seen them and he couldn't bring himself to deprive his son of his gifts, especially when those gifts helped distract Ezran from the fact Callum wasn't coming home anytime soon.

Harrow pushed his musings from his mind, his mood was already dark enough. He refocused back on Opeli who finished giving her report on her journey to Evenere. Silence filled the great hall as Opeli stood in the center of the hall before the throne.

Viren was the first to speak up.

"So, in short, you completely failed at the one job you were given," Viren stated, his tone civil but mocking. "As we waited for you to sail home I wondered what excuses you would offer for your failure to watch over my children and King Harrows Stepson. They were more feeble then I imagined, you never cease to disappoint."

Opeli's neutral gaze turned angry as she responded. "I had more then one job, I also had to negotiate with Evenere to strengthen our ties to the kingdom, which I excelled at. As for your children they chose to follow the Prince on his journey of their own free will. Even after I ordered them to come home with me. There was nothing I could do."

Harrow saw Viren was about to make a snide remark to Opeli but stopped it by pounding his right fist down hard on the arm of his throne, the noise was deafening and silenced everyone in the throne room. "Everyone except Lord Viren and Lady Opeli is to leave immediately, that includes the Crownguard," Harrow ordered in a tone that brokered no argument as everyone in the throne room moved quickly to obey his orders. In less than thirty seconds it was just him and his two councilors in the throne room.

Harrow turned to Opeli who stood silently before the throne. "While Viren's words are harsh I cant help but agree with him." He saw Opeli wince but he continued. "I've known you since we were children and have trusted you with numerous tasks of great importance. I believed you would be capable of handling my stepson, yet it seems as if a ten-year-old boy is beyond your ability to control."

"A ten-year-old boy with his own private army." Opeli retorted. "The Prince used some of the money he earned to hire hundreds of Evenere mercenaries to crew his dreadnaught of a ship. Not to mention the fact that Queen Fareeda refused to help me since it would involve taking action against the boy who saved her city."

Harrow had to resist sighing. He had heard the stories coming from Evenere ever since the plague subsided, stories about his stepson not only making a cure for the plague and having some type of terrible ancient magical powers. Not to mention his stepson gaining a good amount of gold and influence in a short amount of time. "Tell me Opeli, are the rumors I've heard coming out of Evenere...are they true?"

"Which rumors?" Opeli asked as she shifted uncomfortably. "There are quite a few coming out of Evenere…."

"Dont play the fool Opeli." Harrow retorted. "You know the ones, I've heard the stories and read the letters that people have sent from Evenere. The rumors about Callums….shapeshifting water powers or whatever the technical term is for it." Callum's letters barely mentioned his feat of magic, only briefing mentioning that he 'used a powerful spell'. Others who were there had sent equally useless letters, Claudia who was usually a detailed oriented writer was also dodgy and vague on the events in Evenere. Her brother's accounts of Evenere weren't much better. Soren had sent a letter that was filled with spelling mistakes, bad grammar, continuous uses of the words awesome and turbo. Soren had also drawn numerous childish doodles of an Octopus in his letter as a way to describe what Callum had done.

"I wasn't there," Opeli replied unhelpfully. "All I know is that the Prince claimed it was Primal magic. The boy did buy two primal stones when we were in Evenere, and the court mage gifted him with one before the Prince left. I expect he will continue buying magical artifacts with all the wealth he is getting from his medicine."

Harrow knew that if Sarai were still alive she would have thrown him from the tallest of Katolis's two towers for allowing her son to gallivant around the Kingdoms with dangerous magical artifacts. He had utterly failed as a stepfather when it came to keeping Callum out of trouble. Yet there was one thing he truly didn't understand.

"My question is why is Callum doing this?" Harrow had known Callum since the boy was a little over four years old. While Sarai's death had made Callum grow into a bit of a reclusive loner the boy had never shown any signs of recklessness or rebellion as he had in this latest development.

"Early teenage rebellion?" Viren offered. "He is almost eleven and children mature quickly these days. I suppose we should be thankful that he is spending money on ships and magical artifacts rather then drugs and women of ill repute.."

"You're not making me feel better Viren," Harrow growled as he imagined how much trouble would be as a teenager with all the resources at his disposal. "I just dont understand why he would do this. What does he have to gain by continuing on his trip through the other kingdoms?"

"I believe it is because he is insecure," Opeli stated plainly.

"Insecure?" Harrow asked not quite understanding what he was hearing. "What does he have to be insecure about?"

"Well…" Opeli began, her tone changing to that of one she often used when lecturing others. "He is insecure about the fact that he is a commoner among the nobility who has the title of Prince. Prince Callum isn't ignorant to the way other nobles perceive him. I believe he feels the need to prove himself worthy of the title of Prince, to show people that he is more then just King Harrows Stepson and Prince Ezrans commoner half-brother. In fact, when I warned him he would be returning home to an angry King he basically replied that he would return home triumphantly and that you would be proud of what he had accomplished on his diplomatic journey."

Harrow felt guilt gnaw at his heart as he realized the truth in Opeli's words. Callum was trying to prove all those who doubted him and looked down upon him wrong. "I've heard enough, Opeli you may leave. Go and get some rest, I will summon you tomorrow." He waved her away and she left the throne room leaving only himself and Viren.

"You are far too lenient with her," Viren muttered once Opeli had left the throne room. "She allowed my children and your son to gallivant around the kingdoms with no adult supervision. Not to mention the danger she allowed them to be put in while in Evenere…"

Harrow only partially agreed with his friend's statement. "She could have handled it better but at the same time, the deck was stacked against her. You need to stop this rivalry you have with her Viren, it's unseemly for it to be on open display in court. People need to believe that their leaders are working together."

Viren scoffed. "I dont have a rivalry with her…I just find her very presence frustrating."

"I seem to remember you having a crush on her."

"Back when we were ten!" Viren answered defensively. "Then she turned into a teenager and from then on she was an unbearable know-it-all."

"Right…" Harrow replied as he turned his thoughts back to his stepson. "Tell me Viren, what do you make of all this? The claims I keep hearing about Callum's strange magical ability, his actions in Evenere, his defiance of me and desire to travel the Kingdoms. What is your perspective on it all?"

Viren seemed to pause as he contemplated his answer. "Hmmm...I cant claim to know the prince well enough to explain his actions but he is young and children do tend to rebel against their authority figures. As for the magic...Claudia claims that Callum was using primal magic after buying a primal stone, although I've never heard of a spell that allows you to summon a Kraken avatar. Its something I would need to investigate further. To be honest I'm more impressed with his elixir then his magic."

Harrow watched as Viren pulled a red vial of liquid from his pocket and handed it to him. "It's very simple yet at the same time extremely sophisticated." The mage stated as Harrow took a closer look at it. "Derived from plants and some byproducts of magical creatures. A few ships have come from Evenere selling it as a cure-all and it seems to work. People cant get enough of this stuff."

Harrow took a closer look at the vial before him. It was about six inches long and fairly thick and filled with a dark red liquid. He read the label on its side.

Callum's Curative

Guaranteed to cure chest colds, flu, upset stomach, torpid liver, brain fevers, dysentery, and magical plagues.

Directions- Take a small sip three times daily after meals for the best result. Two small sips recommended for children under the age of six.

Cruelty-Free- No magical creatures were killed in the making of this product and even if they were they probably deserved it.

Harrow saw next to the directions was a cartoon version of Callum giving a thumbs up, with a speech bubble next to him declaring 'It really works!'. Harrow opened the vial and took a sniff of the concoction and found that it smelled like cherries. "So...does it really cures all those illnesses?" While he knew Callum wouldn't sell snake oil he still found it hard to believe a single elixir could be such a cure-all.

"As far as I can tell yes," Viren answered as he took the vial from Harrow. "Its rather ingenious, rather then trying to kill the disease within your body it takes a homeopathic approach and instead unlocks the full potential of the human body's immune system. Allowing it to fight off sickness at an extraordinary rate. My contact in the College of Enchanters claims that it can cure far more then what's listed on the label, but your step-son demanded that they only print things that they definitively know the elixir can cure. Tests are still being run on it to understand the elixirs full potential."

"That boy makes it hard for me to stay angry with him. " Harrow muttered as he contemplated his next move. He was proud of what Callum had managed to do thus far but infuriated with him for going off on his own. Bodyguards or not he did not want Sarai's son wandering around the Pentarchy with no real adult supervision.

"So what's your next move?' Viren asked as he walked to Harrow's side. "I know you dont want the boy wandering around the Pentarchy but forcing him to return home seems like it could get messy. Especially with him hiring mercenaries from Evenere to crew his ship and protect him. We need to send someone he won't openly defy, someone close to him. Perhaps general Amaya might have better luck convincing the prince to come home? Even he wouldn't openly defy a family member would he?"

It was a good idea, Harrow knew that Amaya was one of two blood relatives the boy had and Amaya had always given whatever free time she had when she wasn't off soldiering to helping raise Callum and Ezran. "Let's see…" Harrow began, a plan stirring in his head. "General Amaya can be taken from her posting at the breach, the border has been quiet the last few years so having another general in charge wouldn't hurt. At the rate of Callum's journey, he has no doubt reached Del Bar by now, which means his next stop will be in Neolandia."

Viren nodded. "Indeed, although it's unknown how long the prince will stay in Del Bar. It will be spring soon so King Florian will no doubt have the Prince stay for the spring and summer celebrations. It's pretty much the only part of the year where the weather is somewhat tolerable for non-Del Barian's. So….four months maybe? Its been a long time since I've been to Del Bar."

Four months was a long time, longer then Harrow wanted. "I'll have our friends in Del Bar, keep us appraised of Callums whereabouts. For now, it's best to leave him to his own devices, we cant do anything until he leaves for Neolandia, hopefully, our closer ties with them will mean something when the time comes to bring that boy home. As it stands I just hope Callum's time in Del Bar is more relaxing then Evenere was."

The court mage chuckled. "Well, it would be hard to beat a magical plague and battling monsters outside a sunken temple." Viren put forward. "In Del Bar, your worst enemy is the elements and even those are somewhat mild this time of year."

Harrow nodded, only half-listening. Already he had plans stirring in his mind for returning Callum home, while he trusted Amaya to return Callum he couldn't help but feel uneasy about sending only her. He knew that the only way to ensure that the boy was returned home was to see to it personally.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Claudia shivered as she climbed off of the small rowboat that had ferried her from the Leviathan Prince and onto the wooden docks of the town they had made port in. Alongside her were Callum, and Soren. Behind her, on other boats, Corvus and Villads were instructing and calling out orders to the numerous guards and workers who were starting to offload supplies and luggage from the ship. They had arrived at a port town called Serpents Rest, from what she could see it was a trade port albeit a small one compared to the heart of trade that Evenere was.

The docks were crowded with all manner of sailors, fishwives, merchants, and other types of workers going about their daily business. Yet they all made a way when Callum's Evenerian mercenaries walked forward, allowing a clear path for the prince's entourage.

In the distance beyond the docks, she saw the main town of Serpents Rest. It had neatly organized cobbled streets, houses made of whitewashed stone, or sturdy-looking timber to withstand the harsh snowstorms that came through the region.

All in all, it was a pretty normal looking winter town with the exception of the smell. The air smelled like fish mixed with burning oil.

Claudia had to cover her nose as they walked past a particularly large whaling ship. It was a massive vessel that was almost as big as the Leviathan Prince, although its design and upkeep was of much lower quality with the wooden sides of the ship being faded and covered in tar and oil. "How does this place smell worse the Evenere?" She asked as she resisted gagging from the smell of the vessel. "As if the cold wasn't bad enough it also has to smell bad?"

"You're so negative." The voice of her brother chimed in as he walked up alongside her. "This is our culture Claud's. Whaling has sustained Del Barians through harsh winters since our people first came to these shores."

Claudia shook her head and resisted gagging as a strong cold breeze blew frigid air and the smell of fish and whale flesh into her nostrils. "Thank goodness it's a dying part of our culture." with peace between the five kingdoms Del Bar was relying less on whaling and fishing to survive the winter and instead traded valuable metals and gems with the other kingdoms to survive. Now that Del Bar is getting more and more civilized people's diets actually consist of numerous food groups instead of whale fillets, seaweed stew, and blubbered seal jerky.

Choosing to ignore her brother's annoying optimism she instead looked over at Callum who had been unusually quiet. In this frigid wasteland, he was the only thing that even remotely brought her joy, mainly due to the fact she couldn't help but smile every time she looked at the new garments he had chosen to wear.

As if sensing her lingering gaze Callum turned to her, a frown etched upon his face. "What are you smiling at Claudia? It's unnerving…"

She couldn't help but chuckle at Callum's statement. "I just find it funny that after a near lifetime of you claiming I dress like a witch you decide to start dressing like a warlock." She gave him an appraising look as she took in the Prince's new outfit. "You look like you're going to travel to a remote area to summon a demon familiar."

Callum snorted. "This is a classic case of the raven calling the crow black."

"I think the saying is about a pot and kettle."

"Whatever," Callum grumbled. "You're just jealous that my new clothes are infused with sun magic so I'm completely warm and toasty while you're wrapped up like a Neolandian mummy and still freezing."

Claudia had to bite her tongue to avoid cursing out her friend. She was wrapped up in numerous layers of black fur-lined clothes and the wind still cut her to the bone. Meanwhile, Callum was wearing his silk robes and cloak which seemed to keep him perfectly warm. His face was rosy-cheeked, he wasn't shivering, and even the wind didn't seem to phase him or even ruffle his hair.

"Well excuse me, my Prince." Claudia began in an exaggerated tone. "We cant all be ridiculously rich and buy primal stones to make enchanted clothes."

"Your eyes are green Claudia." was Callum's reply.

"They've always been green, and you have green eyes as well Callum!" She pointed out not understanding where he was going with this.

"I mean your eyes are green with envy," Callum replied. "Dont hate me just because I bring fashion, style, and good taste to the mage game. We both might be mages but the difference between us is that I make this look good." He gestured towards his rich garments.

Claudia couldn't help but roll her eyes at Callum's utter lack of seriousness. "As you will my Prince. Since you're such a pinnacle of charm, fashion, and magic I shall allow you to take the lead and deal with the Del Barian delegation that I see approaching us."

They had made it to the town proper and from its massive gates, a large delegation of troops came forward. They were all covered head to toe in Del Barian steel plate mail armor and wearing bearskin cloaks. All of them were armed with greatswords, double-bladed axes, and numerous other impressive weapons of the highest quality.

All the joy Claudia had felt at the idea of watching Callums tumble his way through dealing with nobility died when she realized that it was the Einherjar that had arrived, no doubt to escort Callum and the rest of the delegation to King Florian. "Crap…" Claudia muttered as she watched the column of heavily armed Del Baraians approaching. "I didn't expect this so soon…"

"What are you complaining about?" Callum grumbled as he apparently fussed with his cloak, and staff in an attempt to preen himself. "I'm the one who has to deal with nobility here. I need to make a good first impression since Opeli is back in Katolis. Do you think the King himself came? Maybe some minor nobles?"

"Worse…" Claudia muttered as she realized what was coming, she thought she would have more time. Time to prepare for this exact meeting and yet…

Claudia rushed to her brother's side to prepare herself. She had so many things she wanted to say, and she was intent on putting her foot down and speaking her mind. After so many years it was finally happening, she would confront the woman that had left her and Soren, the woman who had left her father to raise her and her brother alone in Katolis.

"Where are my babies?!" A booming voice called out from behind the ranks of soldiers.

All her speeches and preparations died as a large figure came barreling towards her and Soren and wrapped an arm around each of them and clamped them in a giant bear hug that lifted both of them several feet off the ground.

Claudia felt her spine crack and air leave her lungs as the towering figure crushed her in a hug that made her feel like she was being crushed by a boulder.

"Mom….please…" Claudia heard her brother gasp out as he struggled against her crushing hug. His Del Barian plate mail armor barely protecting him.

Claudia wasn't doing much better as she gasped as she felt her chest being crushed against her mother's armored form.

Astrid of Del Bar was a mountain of a woman. Although Claudia had never measured her mother's height she knew the woman was roughly six and a half feet tall or more. She was also muscular, broad-shouldered with arms and legs as solid as tree trunks. Despite her towering form she had a feminine face, with bright green eyes, and shoulder-length blonde hair that was tied into a ponytail.

The fact that she was armored from her neck down in strong, thick Del Barian plate mail made her look like a golem carved from iron, it also made her hug that much more painful.

"My beautiful children, look at you!" Astrid declared as she tightened her hug which made Claudia wince as she felt her spine creak against the added force. "Soren you've grown so strong and handsome and my dear Claudia! You're so beautiful, I bet all the young boys in Katolis are fighting over you."

Claudia didn't respond to her mother's words instead all she was trying to do was figure out a way to escape her mother's grasp. Her mother had been one of the strongest people she had ever know, in Katolis the only people who could match her in combat was Queen Sarai and General Amaya. It seemed like the years she had spent in her homeland had only made her stronger.

Over the pain, she heard the sound of laughter and turned to see Callum pointing and laughing at her and her brother's predicament.

It gave her an idea, an evil idea…

"Mom…" Claudia managed as she summoned up all her strength. "You're being very rude right now."

Her mother turned to ace her and loosed her grip slightly which allowed Claudia to take in a much-needed breath of fresh air. "What are you talking about my little raven?" Her mother asked, using her old pet name from when she was a child. "How is it rude to embrace my own flesh and blood after being separated for so long?"

Claudia turned to Callum who had ceased his laughing once he saw her gaze fall upon him. "You're here on behalf of King Florian to welcome Prince Callum arent you?" Her mother nodded. "Well you're being rude, you haven't even said hello to Prince Callum yet."

Astrids face lit up with realization. "Of course!" Astrid let both her and Soren go and they both collapsed onto the ground, now free of their mother's grasp and free to breathe once more. "You always were so smart my little raven. I got so excited seeing you two that I've ignored the guest of honor."

Claudia watched with barely restrained delight as her mother began approaching Callum who was becoming aware of the predicament he was in as he slowly began to back away.

"Lady Astrid..." Callum muttered in apparent fear. "Its been too long since-" Callum never got to finish his sentence as he was soon crushed in a bear hug from Astrid who scooped him up as if he were a baby.

It was Claudia's turn to laugh as she watched Callums face turn purple as he was crushed in her mother's embrace.

"Dont you, Lady Astrid, me!" Astrid declared happily in a sing-song voice as she hugged Callum tightly. "Leave that Katolian court decorum in Katolis! Your mother was like a sister to me, I consider you family. And just look at you! You're almost as tall as Soren and you're several years younger then him! If only Sarai were alive to see you. She would be so proud!"

"My spine!" Callum cried out as Astrid seemingly tightened her grasp as she got more and more emotional. It had been so long Claudia forgot how much her mother was different from her father. Always straightforward and open like a book compared to her father's reserved behavior.

Soren was the one to stop their mother as he ripped Callum from her grasp. "Leave him alone mom, I'm his sword shield! You're beating up the guy I'm supposed to protect!" Her brother complained as he set Callum down on the ground. Claudia walked over to Callum's side as he laid in the road dazed and in pain.

"My spine…" Callum complained as he turned his gaze to her and Soren. "Claudia if I die I want you to know that in my will I left you my primal stones, everything else goes to Ezran…"

"Quit being dramatic…" Claudia muttered as she helped Callum up. She looked over at her mother who had the decency to look embarrassed. "As emotional as this reunion is can we get going? I've spent the last month on a ship sailing to this frozen hell."

"Cold like your father…" Astrid muttered which made Claudia bite her tongue to avoid a retort that would most likely lead to an argument. "Arent you glad to see me? Its been years, I thought you would be happier."

Claudia was about to lose her temper at her mother's statement until she felt Soren's armored hand land on her shoulder.

"Not here, not now," Soren whispered as he gestured towards Callum and the crowds of people who were watching the interaction. Claudia nodded as her brother pushed her back and took charge of the situation. "We are happy to see you, mom." Soren put forward as he took charge. "But we are tired after spending over a month at sea. Also, this whole welcoming committee is to help Prince Callum get settled in, we can catch up later on our own time."

"I suppose you're right. Let's get you all settled in at Summerhold then we can have a proper family reunion. The journey will take several days, my men brought horses and carts to carry your belongings." Astrid gestured towards the soldiers under her command. "Bring up the wagons and get the Prince's belongings loaded up. We have a schedule to keep, King Florian, wants the Prince settled into Summerhold before the hunting season starts!"

There were many things about that statement Claudia found unpleasant. She generally hated hunting unless it was hunting for magical creatures, even then the act of hunting wasn't what she enjoyed but rather the end result of discovering reagents for amazing spells.

"You said we were going to Summerhold?" Claudia received a nod of confirmation from her mother. "I thought we were staying in Winterhold? Isn't that where King Florian holds court?" She knew that Winterhold was an ancient fortress carved into a mountain, a fortress built upon hot springs that allowed the fortress to stay warm even during the harshest winter. Taking a bath in one of those springs was one of the few things Claudia had been looking forward to.

"Winterhold is where the royal family stays during winter," Astrid replied. "But spring is here with summer soon to follow. Which means the court moves to Summerhold. It's a lovely place situated in the Howling Fjord, far more pleasant then the Borean Tundra or Boreal Valley."

Callum snorted. "So you call the winter palace Winterhold and the summer palace Summerhold?" The Prince asked as he dusted himself off.

Astrid laughed and gave Callum an affectionate smack on the back that caused the prince to fall face-first into the ground. "We Del Barians are renowned for many things, creativity and originality aren't among them."

"Let's just get this over with…" Claudia muttered as she picked up Callum and began dragging him over to the baggage train. They were only in Del Bar for a few minutes and already she was miserable. Between the terrible weather and her mother, she was already in hell.

"At least things cant get much worse then this…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm Back!
> 
> Sorry for being away for so long but my life got major chaotic. I work retail so the holidays kicked my but, I had to help my family get situated after moving, I had to build a new computer after my old one died, and work, in general, is kicking my behind. Also, I made a super crazy good gaming computer with high-end parts I bought for a bargain on cyber-Monday, so I also played a whole bunch of video games my old rig couldn't even run.
> 
> I work at a Costco and right now with Coronavirus panic I spent most of my day scrambling around the warehouse trying to fight off the crowds of people buying up toilet paper and water. So when I get home I just want to play some video games and sleep.
> 
> Now back to the story. I know this chapter was kind of boring but we needed a transitional chapter, I promise things will go at a quicker pace from here on out.
> 
> People keep messaging me about my thoughts on season 3. My answer is….
> 
> It was okay.
> 
> The things that were good were really good, while the things that were bad were really bad. That's all your getting out of me, overall I enjoyed it though.
> 
> The fact that Aaravos interacts with Viren in a spirit form made me wonder if the creators and I share a spirit animal or something. People keep asking me if I posted this story before season 3, the answer is yes.
> 
> No idea when the next update will be posted. Life is chaotic and with the Coronavirus and me working at Costco, I dont know what will happen. I'm on the frontlines to get infected in a crowded warehouse willed with people sharing the same air as they panic.
> 
> If I dont post anything about a story on my profile for over a year assume I'm dead and feel free to adopt it or write your own version. Have at it folks.
> 
> See you all later, hopefully, the wait won't be as long for the next chapter. I make no promises.


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